tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34333802024-02-27T23:34:14.136-08:00Memoirs from the O'Brien PlantationJournal of a Louisiana housewife with 2 children.Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02979952092429372938noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433380.post-819723942002-09-22T18:43:00.000-07:002002-09-22T18:43:54.726-07:00Dillon's grandfather passed away on 9/14/02. He went in the hospital for a fever on 9/8/02. He had an infection in his leg and pheneumonia. Aunt Deanne was here by Monday. Wednesday we were told he would probably not make it. Thursday Wanda and her family left and arrived here on Friday. The entire family was able to see him and say their good byes. We were even able to take the kids in the ICU. The last time I saw him he was able to talk to us just a little. The funeral was on Tuesday at Grandpa and Grandma's church in Leesville. The burial was Thursday in Buckholtz, TX where he is from. We were able to make it to both.
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<br />Leia and Chloe will probably not remember him. He always called Leia a "corker" because she was so funny and cute. One special memory was when we were at their house and about to eat. Leia said let's pray. We all bowed our heads. It was kind of funny because no body prayed out loud, but I believe we all said our own silent prayer. He was loved and we will miss him.Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02979952092429372938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433380.post-812991122002-09-07T19:47:00.000-07:002002-09-07T19:47:03.343-07:00Last weekend was Labor Day weekend. We went to Deanne & Richard's house in TX on Friday and left on Sunday. We had a lot of fun. On Saturday evening we went to the fair and rodeo. Leia liked the bull riding and called it "cows doing tricks".
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<br />Leia has been enjoying her "pond", a little pool that I bought her. She puts on her "fwimsoup" or swim suit and goes and splashes and plays.
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<br />Chloe can sit up very straight now. She still crawls on her tummy, military style. She can pick things up with her thumb and first finger. She studies things a lot. She likes to get on the floor and play with her (and Leia's) toys. Hi is her newest word. Instead of kisses she will but foreheads softly. It is adorable!Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02979952092429372938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433380.post-801648752002-08-12T19:03:00.000-07:002002-08-12T19:03:12.863-07:00My Mother was able to come and visit. She came by train on Sunday the 4th. She was able to stay until today, Monday the 12th. We had a wonderful time. She spent loads of time reading to Leia, playing at the park, holding Chloe and just giving all of us all her love for a whole week. I unfortunately, had to have my wisdom teeth pulled and thank goodness she was here for that. I had the surgery on Friday. I was down for that day but after that I was fine. I took 2 pain pills on Friday and none after that. Dillon and I had optometrist appointments so it was good to have Mom here to watch kids for that too.
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<br />Dillon's Mom & family also arrived in Louisiana on Sunday the 4th. We saw them on Monday evening and again on Thursday evening. Saturday we all went to Leesville to spend the day together. Visits with both sides of the family went too fast.
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<br />Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02979952092429372938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433380.post-794594722002-07-26T18:06:00.000-07:002002-07-26T18:06:50.260-07:00Chloe stood up! She was playing with one of Leia's toys, a little box, and put her hands on top of it and stood up. If someone stands her up she can hold onto the top of her play pen and stand for a few seconds. She has been saying sounds like DaDa, PaPa, ByeBye.
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<br />Leia is learning new things all the time. She can say almost all of the ABCs, count to 10, knows her shapes & colors. She can put on her own clothes. She loves to sing. What a joyful little girl!
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<br />Summer school will be over next week. I have 1 test tomorrow (Saturday, yuck) and a final on Tuesday and the last final on Wednesday.
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<br />We have been able to see Bill's kids a lot this month. They have come over for night twice. They are 13 (twins) and 16. We celebrated the twins birthday last weekend. They have to leave on the 31st. My mom is talking about coming for a few weeks. I will like that. Dillon's mom & family are coming after August 1st, which is always fun. If all works out, our mothers can meet for the first time in nearly 10 years.Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02979952092429372938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433380.post-789952352002-07-15T17:12:00.000-07:002002-07-15T17:12:23.803-07:00School is getting crazy. I have just over 2 weeks to go. I have about 4 assignments and 3 tests to go. After that, though, I get about a month break. Work has been keeping me busy too. I usually make it to the office by 10 or 11 a.m. and work till 5 p.m.
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<br />Chloe is learning how to wave. It is funny to watch her. She and Leia are interacting some what. Leia will push her face against the play pen and make Chloe laugh. Leia will come and hug and kiss on Chloe when I am holding her. They both love to sit on my lap at the same time. What is going to happen if we have a 3rd? Maybe I will try to grow another arm!Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02979952092429372938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433380.post-786722822002-07-07T21:12:00.000-07:002002-07-07T21:12:40.606-07:00The 4th of July was a lot of fun. We went to Fort Polk where Dillon's Dad works. They have a big to-do. We got there around 5 p.m. and brought a picnic dinner. The fireworks were fun. However, before the show they do a 50 gun salute, one pow for each state. It is very loud and takes quite awhile. Chloe screamed throught out. Leia held her ears. After the fireworks started Leia still held her ears. After the fireworks were over we told her to put her hands down. Then they would shoot off one more and she would put up her hands. That happened at least 5 or 6 times, no kidding!
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<br />Chloe got to meet her Uncles James and Jeremy and her Aunt Jessica O'Brien. Leia doesn't remember them so she got to know them all over again. She is partial to James. James came over Thursday night and the twins joined us all on Friday night. PaPa bought a new truck on Friday. His caught fire and the insurance company totaled it out. He was borrowing our truck. On Saturday he picked the kids up in his new truck. Today we went to visit them again and pick up our truck. I am glad Leia is getting to know them. Since they live in North Carolina they only come to visit once a year.Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02979952092429372938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433380.post-785351742002-07-03T20:39:00.000-07:002002-07-03T20:39:03.446-07:00I have decided to go back to work almost full time. Since Dillon works from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m., I would be able to be at work by 10 a.m. and could work till 5 p.m. After I got home Dillon would go to bed and sleep till midnight. It will help pay the bills and have a little to spare. I will dearly miss being with the children all day long. However, we will make the best of our situation.
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<br />Chloe has been progressing with her crawling. She is getting so fast. She also "talks" more. It is cute.
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<br />Leia is doing very well with potty training. She doesn't even use her little potty chair. I guess I can clean it really good and put it away for Chloe.Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02979952092429372938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433380.post-781646522002-06-24T21:57:00.000-07:002002-06-24T21:57:04.226-07:00We are slowly falling into a daily pattern. I work best on a predictable path. Me and the kids usually get up around 7:30 or 8:00 a.m. Leia usually eats dry cereal while Chloe nurses. After that we all take baths/showers. Around 9 or 9:30 Daddy gets home from work. (He works nights.) Chloe will eat some cereal and then take a nap. She wakes up around noon and nurses. Leia usually will eat peanut butter and jelly or mac & cheese for lunch. Chloe will then eat some baby food. Leia and Chloe take an afternoon nap from about 2-4. Daddy usually takes a nap too. Chloe nurses at 4 and then eats more cereal around 5:00. Everyone wakes up for dinner. We play until about 7:30 when it is time for bed. Then, I study or work until midnight. That is when Daddy gets up to go to work and I go to bed.
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<br />Tuesdays and Thursdays are Mother's Day Out and I try to go to the office for the entire time so I can get some paid work hours in. It has been a busy few weeks trying to juggle family, work & school. The college degree will make the sacrafice and hard work worth it.Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02979952092429372938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433380.post-779657892002-06-19T21:32:00.000-07:002002-06-19T21:32:50.346-07:00Vacation Bible School was last week and went very well. The most we ever had was 12 kids and 5 teachers. The group of kids was very well behaved. I had a great time and I hope I will be able to do it again next year.
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<br />Chloe has started to crawl. She can do a military crawl and is getting pretty fast. She can get up on her hands and knees but has not yet figured out how to move that way. She said MaMa last week, yeah!
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<br />Leia has become a cheerful little song bird. She loves to sing songs. I have her sing on the phone to grandparents and they love it. Some of her favorite songs are Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The Wheels on the Bus and Happy Birthday to You.Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02979952092429372938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433380.post-775926462002-06-10T19:52:00.000-07:002002-06-10T19:54:30.000-07:00Vacation Bible School started today. It was a lot of fun. We only had 12 kids today. More are expected tomorrow.
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<br />Leia is getting better about potty training. Soon I will try to have her sleep through the night with out a diaper. I am not ready to change wet sheets in the middle of the night yet.
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<br />Leia's speech is getting much better. She used to call her sister Coey. Now she says very clearly Chloe. She pays very close attention when you break up a word and pronounce it for her. She is so smart!
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<br />Leia is so excited to be going to church every day this week. She has so much fun with the other kids.
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<br />Chloe did very well at church today. She usually will not take a bottle, so I didn't even make one today. I made up a big serving of baby cereal and she ate it all. The ladies in her room enjoy keeping her. I am so happy that they love her so much! Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02979952092429372938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433380.post-774440712002-06-06T19:12:00.000-07:002002-06-06T19:12:18.646-07:00Leia continues to amaze us. We obviously let her watch too much tv. She has this one commercial memorized. It pops up different words on the screen as the announcer says them: News, Weather, Sport, Features, Programming, etc, etc KALB.com. First, we thought it was funny that she could say the words after the announcer. Then, she could say the words before the announcer. Now, she doesn't have to be looking at the tv, when she hears it come on she starts saying it! Like I said, too much tv!
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<br />Chloe has been enjoying all the extra food. She loves it all. She has tried her cereal with juice in it because she still will not drink from a bottle. She has tried strained carrots, green beans, peaches, applesauce and bananas. She sometimes sucks on her thumbs or toes and makes a big mess. Right now it is still cute, just wait!Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02979952092429372938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433380.post-772389862002-06-01T20:35:00.000-07:002002-06-01T20:35:05.240-07:00Today we took Leia & Chloe fishing for the first time. Leia was not really into it. It was a bad spot and we did not catch any fish. But, it was fun.
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<br />Chloe had shots on Thursday. She did really well. She is only in the 10th percentile, compared to other kids her age. Leia, on the other hand, was always in the 90th percentile or above. So, now that Chloe is 6 months old we are supposed to start her on cereal, fruits, vegetables & juice. We will get her fattened up!Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02979952092429372938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433380.post-770805162002-05-28T15:35:00.000-07:002002-05-28T15:35:35.766-07:00Memorial Day was yesterday. Dillon had the day off so we decided to have a family day. First thing I went to the store to get stuff for a picnic lunch. We left to go to the zoo around 11:00 and stayed till about 1:30. Then we went to the park and ate our lunch. Leia played on the swings and playground for about an hour. Then we went to the mall to get out of the heat. For dinner we went to Chuck E Cheese's. We finally got home around 6:30. What a fun day!Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02979952092429372938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433380.post-770051542002-05-26T17:58:00.000-07:002002-05-26T17:58:41.000-07:00Chloe has discovered the Sure-Grip Jumper. It hangs from a door jam and she can jump. She tried it for the first time today and had a great time.
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<br />Leia has finally let me do something to her hair. I put it in a pony tail. Not all the hair is long enough so it I just put one patch on the very top. She looks like Pebbles Flinstone.
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<br />This weekend Kim & Eric were visiting Grandpa & Grandma so we went on Saturday night to see them. Leia had fun playing with Jon. She was exhausted when he left!Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02979952092429372938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433380.post-768716492002-05-22T22:09:00.000-07:002002-05-22T22:09:58.723-07:00I have noticed something funny that Chloe does: she likes to touch people's faces. It is really sweet. She is trying more and more to talk. She makes a growling sound and then says dadadada. Hopefully soon she will say mama.
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<br />Leia and I have enjoyed playing outside. She likes to sit on my bike while I push her around. We would like to get a little cart to attach to the bike so we can all go for a ride together.Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02979952092429372938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433380.post-767858512002-05-20T21:20:00.000-07:002002-05-20T21:20:56.186-07:00Everyone is well this week. The weather has been really nice. We even had record lows (49 degrees).
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<br />Chloe has said her first word. It was Dada. Actually more like a sound...dadadada. But, we will count it. She is starting to learn how to crawl. She can get up on her hands and knees and rock back and forth. She can roll over and over all the way across a room.
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<br />Leia loves to talk on the phone. She will talk to anyone but her favorite is her grandparents and her Daddy. She doesn't talk too much but she really listens. Then she will say something like..I see a squirrel outside or there is Chloe. I guess she is trying to tell the person what she sees. She is really loving the Mother's Day Out programs that she goes to on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She gets so excited when I tell her we are going!Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02979952092429372938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433380.post-765609012002-05-14T19:36:00.000-07:002002-05-14T19:36:44.176-07:00Chloe has been sick. She does not want to sleep because of coughing and a runny nose. She does pretty good in the mornings but afternoons and evenings are bad because she has not had any naps. I had to go to the office today and took her with me. She did good for awhile but then got really fussy.
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<br />I have noticed something about Leia lately. She is very organized. This afternoon she lined up her crayons 2 by 2 with the tips touching. She lines up her match box cars all in the same direction. She faces her movies all with the titles facing out. That is neat to see in a 2 year old.Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02979952092429372938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433380.post-764813232002-05-12T20:15:00.000-07:002002-05-12T20:15:28.876-07:00Today was Mother's Day. It was a nice, relaxing day. We went to church this morning. The Sunday school teachers both made projects for the kids to give to me. Chloe had a card with her picture in it. Leia painted a small box to put jewelry in. At Mother's Day Out early this week Leia made a card with her hand print as a flower for Mother's Day. I will put the cards in a scrap book. They were precious.
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<br />Dillon was great and made Eggs Benedict for brunch after church. This afternoon I took a long nap with Leia. For dinner Dillon made a roast. The boy can cook! It was wonderful!!Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02979952092429372938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433380.post-763284172002-05-08T19:43:00.000-07:002002-05-08T19:43:08.320-07:00Lately I have been enjoying the early evenings outdoors with Leia. It is hot, but not too hot in the shade. We look at the clouds and play with the new kitten. These are the days to remember.
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<br />I will also remember today as the 2nd time Leia made her "poop picasso". I think she did it on purpose. I sent her to time out for throwing a temper tantrum and when I came back to her room she had pooped in her panties and finger painted her walls with it. Yuck! Only a parent could laugh at that. But this was the second time and I am tired of cleaning up poop!
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<br />After Leia went to bed I made chocolate malts for me and Dillon. He gave some to Chloe and she got so excited. It is funny to watch her try new things. Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02979952092429372938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433380.post-761712532002-05-04T19:46:00.000-07:002002-05-04T19:46:38.403-07:00Chloe had her first taste of rice cereal today. She loved it. She was trying to grab the spoon and feed herself!
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<br />Dillon brought home a new kitten for Leia. It's name is Shadow. She used to be terrified of cats but now she likes them. She is so happy to have her own kitten.
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<br />I am officially self employed! My old bosses hired me back on cotract. Meaning I am responsible for my own taxes, but they are paying me more, so it evens out. Since I am only working part time and at home, I was not eligible for benefits, so this works out. So, I brought home some work, now I just have to get to it!
<br />Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02979952092429372938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433380.post-761064492002-05-02T20:46:00.000-07:002002-05-02T20:46:41.480-07:00Thursdays is library day. It was kind of sad because it may be our last time. Since I am going to be working part time, the kids will go to "Mother's Day Out" on Thursdays. Although, between May 30 & June 20 "MDO" is not open, so maybe we can go back then. Vacation Bible School is June 10-14 and the kids will go to that since I will be teaching. That week will be very hard because that is the start of summer school too. Oh well, worry about that when it gets here. Anyway, story time today was fun. Got some more books and read them to Leia already. What a great kid!Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02979952092429372938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433380.post-760254402002-04-30T20:08:00.000-07:002002-04-30T20:08:22.153-07:00I have decided to go back to work. Actually, I am bringing the work home, part time. I asked my old bosses if I could do any work and they said yes. I will probably start next Monday. I will be glad to have more money to pay bills and have fun with, but I am not really looking forward to the work. Plus, I will start summer school in about a month.
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<br />Chloe is communicating with us, other than crying, that is. Dillon started it. He stuck out his tounge and spit at her and she did it right back. They kept it up for a few minutes and then I tried it. She did it to me too.
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<br />Since I am going to be working I took the kids to check out the "Mother's Day Out" program at a local church. I wanted to meet the teachers and check out the facilities. It was nice so I signed up Leia. There is a waiting list for Chloe's class. Leia's class was playing outside on the playground when we went to visit. She loved it and cried when we had to leave. She will start next Tuesday. Our church has a "Mother's Day Out" on Thursdays that they can go to.Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02979952092429372938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433380.post-759469522002-04-28T20:04:00.000-07:002002-04-28T20:04:03.306-07:00Another weekend gone. On Saturday we did some yard and garden work. Leia loves being outside. She loves to blow bubbles and pick flowers. Any flowers will do, even dandylions. Today we went to church. Leia likes seeing her friends and singing songs. She can sing "Jesus Loves Me" and "Deep and Wide". It is so cute.
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<br />This evening we went to the Fisher's house for dinner. It is great to have friends with a 2 year old for Leia to play with. Her and Caleb have so much fun. They fight over toys but mostly get along.
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<br />Chloe has been good. She had been fighting sleep lately. Last night she cried herself to sleep. I felt so bad for her, but nothing worked. Not feeding her, changing her diaper, changing her clothes. It is hard to know what to do when the baby can't talk.Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02979952092429372938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433380.post-758336372002-04-25T20:33:00.000-07:002002-04-25T20:33:46.390-07:00I have poison ivy or poison oak. It itches like crazy and I think is spreading. I have it on both arms and a little on my legs. I have not found anything that will stop the itching.
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<br />Today was story time at the library. Leia really enjoys it. It is for kids under 3 so it is really a zoo. Not many kids really listen to the story, but mostly jump around and play. But, we get to bring home books everytime and Leia loves books.
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<br />Chloe learned to roll over from her back to her stomach. She could roll over from her stomach to her back for about a month now. Hopefully she can roll over at night now insead of waking up when she rolls to her back.Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02979952092429372938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433380.post-757518982002-04-23T19:35:00.000-07:002002-04-23T19:35:19.393-07:00We had a good weekend. We made it to Texas and the reunion. It was great to see our cousins and all the kids. Leia loved being around the kids too. She had a ball! Of course, it was over too soon. The drive home seemed to last forever. It was about a 6 1/2 hour drive.
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<br />Today I went to the college to see how much I have left to finish my bachelor's degree. I still need to take about 20 classes, so that means about another 2 years worth. I am going to sign up for summer school which begins in about 6 weeks. It feels wierd to be going back to school!Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02979952092429372938noreply@blogger.com