Texas Proud

Saved by the Bubby

Yesterday evening as we drove home from Lake Charles, we got stopped on I-10 somewhere between Baytown and Houston because of a major accident on the road... Life Flight came and everything. The accident had probably just happened before we came along that stretch of the interstate... we were only about 3 or 4 cars back from the scene. All lanes were blocked off to allow Life Flight to land on the interstate and, I assume, because of all the debris. We sat in a dead stop for about 30 minutes at which some point early on we had turned the car off and just had the battery on so that Carsten could continue to watch his Baby Einstein DVD (big mistake). There was an exit ramp probably about 100 feet behind us and the cops were waving everybody off of the interstate, so there were probably only about 15 cars, including us, stuck on the interstate behind the accident. Finally, the cop starting directing those of us that were stuck behind the accident to turn around and exit the ramp to get off of the interstate. Danyel turned the key to start the engine. The car was dead.

Some tow truck drivers came over and helped Danyel push the car onto the shoulder. They asked if we were broke down. Danyel told them that we had just drained the battery and needed a jump. They told us that tow truck drivers won't jump cars because of the liability that they may blow your radio or something while jumping you. Translation: "We'd rather tow you and get paid". While this conversation was occurring, I was in the car with Carsten, who had started to scream and cry because he was afraid of all the road noise coming from the other side of the interstate - not to mention that he was tired of being in the car for the last 2 1/2 hours.

I started to panic. I tried to stay calm in order to get Carsten calm. I had to pretend that everything was under control even though we didn't know what we were going to do. If we had to get towed, we would all have to go along in the tow truck to God knows where... I had no more food for Carsten and he was starting to get hungry... and it was getting close to his bedtime. Not to mention, with the accident starting to clear, it was only a matter of time before they were going to open up the road again to traffic and cars would be speeding by at 80 mph. I was extremely worried about this, especially since it was already dark. I was going to have to walk to the gas station a top the overpass with Carsten as we waited to have the car towed. I couldn't stand with him on the open interstate or, even worse, leave him in his carseat in the car. What if someone were to not see us and slam into our car or us on the shoulder?

As my mind went a million miles a minute, Danyel was trying to call our insurance company for road side assistance, but was on hold. He seemed ruffled, but was making good decisions and staying calm... probably more so than I was. I was changing Carsten's diaper in the front seat on my lap with only the light of the sunvisor (at least the lights in the car were still working). Finally, I told Danyel to just go and ask one of the cops if they could jump us - to tell him that we had a baby in the car. He did and the cop was a complete dick (surprise, surprise)... acting as if Danyel had just asked him for his left arm. He didn't really give Danyel a straight answer whether he would do it or not, but Danyel ran to the trunk to find the cables in hopes that he could convince him. They were buried underneath all of our stuff that we had taken to Lake Charles... portable crib, bags, etc. Danyel was just throwing stuff out on to the interstate. In the meantime, the same tow truck drivers as before, pulled up to the front of our car.

They had apparently had had a change of heart. All I could think was "Thank God!" Danyel found the cable and they jumped the car. Danyel asked them what he owed them and they said, "Nothing - just get that baby home." If it wasn't for Carsten, those guys would have never done that for us... they would have insisted on towing us. It goes to show you that all "rules" can always be broken when there is a child involved. No matter how hardened, dishonest, and heartless a person seems, most turn into a softie for a baby. As we finished our drive home, I felt very grateful that the tow truck drivers had changed their minds and that my family was safely on it's way home.

In the presence of angels...

Carsten and his friends, Reese and Raegan

Sweet like candy...

It might be time for the "birds and the bees" talk...

Glad that I caught this one...

Carsten's Hyde personality

We always only take pictures of Carsten when he is happy... why?? Shouldn't we capture ALL the moments... not just the ones that you would like to remember??

We got a new digital camera!!

A few days ago we got our new digital camera... a Fujifilm FinePix S5200 5.1 megapixels with 10x optical zoom... to be exact. Our other one was like one of the firsts out on the market... quite a dinosaur! We decided to upgrade - we needed something that was faster to catch our little rascal in action! Here are some pics that I have taken of Carsten in the last couple of days - this camera makes even me look like a pro!

This is your baby. This is your baby on drugs.

"I can see the light..."

Carsten and Kiki

Carsten: "Kiki! There you are! I have been looking for you everywhere... Let's play!"

Kiki: "Back off you pint sized son of a b*#@h... if you get any closer, I am so out of here! When are you going to go back to where you came from? You are not welcome here!"

Paradise awaits...

Danyel and I are going to the Amalfi Coast in Italy at the beginning of April (It think I have mentioned this before in a previous blog). We will be gone for one week - without Carsten. I am sure that I will miss him terribly, but he will be in good hands.... he will be being cared for by my mom and his Aunt Meme... both of whom are very capable! Carsten loves the two of them so much and is soooo independent that I am sure he will barely know that we are gone! I am just hoping that I don't miss him so much that it is hard for me to enjoy myself. I don't anticipate this being the case because I am soooo excited about spending this one on one time with my hubby. It is really a chance for Danyel and I to keep the home fires burning, so to speak. The fire is still going, but could use a little spark to get it going really strong again! We get so tied up in Carsten, sometimes we forget to really focus on each other. Anyways, we are staying in a small town atop a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean called Ravello. It is rated one of the MOST romantic places in the WORLD!! It is just what the doctor ordered! The hotel that we are staying at costs $912 a night!!! OMG! Of course, this is a bi-annual Edward Jones trip, so we are not paying for it. Take a look at some of the pics from the brochure below... this place looks like heaven on Earth!! I can't wait!!

Town of Ravello...

Lobby area...

Hotel patio area...

Infinity edge pool overlooking the Mediteranean...

The rooms with a view...

Pics from our day trip... (Don't let the smiles fool you!)

Our Saturday Excursion

Today we took a day trip. We drove a little over an hour away to Washington on the Brazos State Park - "The Birthplace of Texas". The park wasn't much to see, but still would have been a nice relaxing day out if Carsten wasn't being Mr. Poopy Pants. Whew... what a day! Tantrum after tantrum. Fit after fit. By the time we left the park, Danyel was drinking Children's Advil because of his splitting headache and we were both (well, all three of us) in desperate need of a nap! Carsten is in the midst of another teething bit (molars - the worst ones!), plus he had missed his nap. BUT, usually just getting him out of the house and in a new environment that he can explore can counteract both of these culprits. Not today. We did manage to have a few fleeting moments of fun, but many more of frustration. After the park, we drove down to Brenham to visit Pleasant Hill Winery. His mood had improved a bit once we arrived, but I realized the days of visiting wineries with Bubby are over. When he was just 3 1/2 months old, we went to Fredericksburg and visited wineries for the weekend - doing tastings and tours. He was a good sport and great company. Of course, this was before he was mobile. Now as a very active and curious toddler, it is impossible to keep him still. You can forget holding him - he instantly starts to squirm, wiggle, and whine. During the tour, he wanted to walk around and touch everything - I had to finally leave the group and let him frolic outside. Then, during the tasting, we were slamming our shots of wine because we were constantly chasing behind him. By the Grace of God, he fell asleep on the way home and slept for another hour after we got home. However, once awake, he cried through his diaper change and through dinner... there was no doubt that he was in severe pain from teething. After about 45 minutes, and a bottle with a shot of ibuprofen in it, he finally calmed down. Our sweet baby was back... happily playing with his toys and us. Thank God for Ibuprofen.

One Year Ago...

One Year Ago today my life changed forever. One year ago today God sent us a miracle... Carsten. One Year Ago today I experienced more pain and joy than I had ever thought imaginable. I am not a fan of childbirth, let it be known. The whole experience for me was scaring, aside from Carsten coming into this world. Now that I look at the time right now as I write this, I realize that at this exact time last year I was still 43 minutes away from delivering Carsten. Probably right about now is when they were using the vacuum to try and "extract" him from the birth canal. I still don't know where I mustered the strength to push through the pain for the two hours and 21 minutes it took to deliver him. I guess right from the start, us mothers will go to any extreme for our offspring. When Carsten finally made his appearance, I thought he was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. I know that most newborns are not that attractive right out of the womb, but I suppose I had my mommy goggles on. Despite all the tears of pain that I had cried for hours on end, my tears instantly turned to those of joy. I didn't and still can't believe that Danyel and I created such a perfect human being. I know that people do it everyday, but when you finally do it for yourself, you really realize what a miracle life is. Anyways, I am glad that it is January 17, 2006 instead of January 17, 2005. Today is a joyful day - just like last year - but with a few big differences - I am not in excruciating pain, I am not exhausted, AND most importantly, I can almost bet you that I will get a full, uninterrupted night of sleep tonight.

Today was Carsten's day. I tried to devote the entire day to just having fun with my son... No errands, no chores, etc. This morning I took Carsten to the mall to play at the play area - he loves to go there. Then, I bought him a new pair of big boy shoes. Now that he is "1" and a pretty good walker, it is time for him to graduate from his Robeez. This afternoon, Danyel took off the rest of the day from work and we took Carsten to the zoo. We kind of just let him lead us around. He just loves to be outside walking around. Then, we went out to dinner to celebrate... Todai Japanese buffet! Danyel and I mainly went for the sushi... Carsten feasted on baked fish, sweet potatoes, fried rice, and creme brule... he has a very refined palate for a one year old! Yep, today definitely one-upped this day last year...

Carsten's First Birthday Party

Carsten's Birthday party was a lot of fun. We invited just immediate family and a few very close friends. It was important to me that Carsten recognized and knew everyone that was here. I didn't want to overwhelm him with a large group full of unfamiliar faces. He seemed to have such a good time. His friends Reese and Raegan came all the way from Lake Charles. He always has such a good time with them. Thanks to generous family and friends, we were able to put $480 into Carsten's education fund!! Thank you all for coming and for being so thoughtful. It was such an emotional moment for me when we sang Carsten "Happy Birthday" - to watch my little baby officially become a little boy. As you can see from the pics, he wasn't too excited about all the singing - he got scared and started to cry when everyone started clapping. But, other than that, he had a really good time and so did the rest of us!

Carsten's First Love

This is Carsten's girlfriend... Raegan. He has always been into all older women, but Raegan has always been his one true love. They have been smitten with each other since their first meeting. I remember the first time they met when Carsten was only 5 days old. He was crying a lot and Danyel and I, being new parents and all, were at our wits end. We were on the verge of a panic attack. Not Raegan. She just stayed by Carsten's side saying "It's o.k. Carsten, It's o.k.". Ever since, these two have been inseparable. Raegan never leaves Carsten's side - she is very devoted. Like most men, Carsten likes the attention. He is enamored of her sparkling blue eyes and beautiful blonde hair. She takes very good care of Carsten - comforting him, teaching him stuff, playing with him, and giving him all of her heart. All she wants is a little reciprocation. This morning she told Carsten "Tell me that you love me, Carsten". I am sure that when he learns to talk, she will hear those three little words that she is dying to hear... unless of course he plays hard to get - you know men and their head games. Raegan's mom, Melissa, and I were talking about how it would just be wild if these two ended up getting married one day... stranger things have happened, I guess!

A Mother's Tears

As I was running errands yesterday with Carsten shopping for last minute stuff for his birthday party this weekend, it all the sudden hit me... hard, that my first born son is turning one and having his first of many birthday parties. I got very teary eyed as I thought about how fast the year went... it's like he was born, I blinked, and here we are celebrating his first birthday. If all the years go this fast, before I know it, he will be going to kindergarten, liking girls, hating me, and going off to college. That's it. Four more blinks and my baby will be going off into the world on his own. As I am writing this, tears are streaming my face. Don't get me wrong... I know that this is a good thing - for Carsten to grow into an independent man finding his way in the world, but he will have to go through so many trials and tribulations to get to that point. Right now he is so innocent - he is naive to the challenges and difficulties that life will bring. Right now he only knows happiness and smiles more times in a day than any of us combined. Right now he loves Danyel and I so much that when we leave the room, he cries for us. He thinks every silly thing that we do is hilarious. His world is full of laughter, exploration, and love... that's it. To think that one day he will hurt, be lonely, be sad - just kills me. I wish I could shelter him from that stuff forever, but I know that it is only inevitable. No matter what anyone says, these are the best years... the baby and toddler years. Sure, he is very dependent upon us right now and he definitely keeps us hopping, but these are the years when we have total control over his happiness and well being. And as long as that is the case, he will not know any sadness or burden. This has been quite a year for all of us. For Danyel and I, it has probably been the most life changing and best ever. For Carsten, it's been a year full of constant growing, excitement, wonderment, and laughter (with some crying mixed in, of course). My one birthday wish for him is that he lives a life full of many years like his first... bursting with happiness and love.

Guess who's back?

Yep, you guessed it. Gypsy has come home. Last night she was salavating all over the house and throwing up grass and a few unidentified objects. She is such a pain in the you know what. But, I guess it is better that she came back... Kiki was starting to get lonely and needy and Danyel was starting to get worried. Better luck next time. :-) (Just kidding, Pookie!)

This time last year...

On this date last year, today was Carsten's original due date. I was so anxious just waiting for him to come. I was determined not to have to be induced. I wanted to go into labor "naturally". As I soon would learn, nothing about Carsten's labor and delivery was going to happen how I fantisized it! Last year today, I was swollen like a watermelon, I had to pee every few minutes, and I couldn't sleep very well anymore. I was so ready to not be pregnant anymore. I was so ready to quit working. I was so ready to meet Carsten. I was so ready to be a mom (little did I know what was ahead...). I wouldn't give anything to go back to this day last year.

Ding-dong, the witch is gone!

Gypsy has left the building! Yesterday, she was driving me NUTS begging to go out. We don't let her out without supervision because she always tries to run away by jumping the fence into the woods. Then, we usually spend hours or days searching for her. Anyways, I took Carsten out to play in the backyard and decided to let her out, too. I tried to keep a close eye on her, but with Carsten it is impossible to watch her constantly. So, she jumped the fence. I called her and could see her through the fence just ignoring me. So, I went back inside and left her. Screw her. If she wants to run away, we should just let her. She is such a worthless cat. She won't even let me or Carsten get near her most of the time. She is so annoying. All she does is walk around the house crying to go out or for attention from Danyel. Last night, Danyel saw her sitting in the front yard and he called her and went to pick her up. She just looked at him and jumped back over the fence into the woods. You know the saying - If you love something, let it go. I do not love this cat. I never have. I know it sounds awful, but it's true. Don't get me wrong - if I saw her dead in the street, it would disturb me, but not because I had any type of attachment to her. Anyways, with any luck, she will not come back. I have even tried to call her a few times just so I can say that I tried. If she doesn't return, none of us will lose any sleep - not even her brother, Kiki. He doesn't even seem to care. That could be because she rapes him constantly and is always following him around, bathing him, and driving him nuts! Anyways, she will probably come back. But, a girl can dream...

From Baby to Big Boy... The Before and After

Carsten's First Haircut

Today all 3 of us went and had haircuts... plus my father in law. Check out the pic of three generations of Ramelow "men" getting their hair cut at the same time. It's definitely one for the scrapbook! Carsten was a good boy. He is not a lap baby, so he didn't want to sit still in my lap to get his haircut... he was quite squirmy. Squirmy and a pair of very sharp scissors make for an extremely nervous Mommy! But, he never got scared or cried. His hair cut is pretty lousy, but I was just glad she was able to trim it up a little and not cut off an ear in the process!

My First Baby Boy

Kiki is a good cat. He has been in my life since my sophomore year in college. He has seen it all. My good times... my sad times... my crazy times... he has been there for them all. Over the last 9 years, he has lived with me in over 10 places with various different human & pet roomies. He never cared... he always adjusted well. He just goes with the flow. He gets neglected a lot since Carsten became the apple of my eye, but he is still my loyal companion. I think he is jealous of Carsten. When Carsten and I play together, Kiki watches from afar with this look of pure envy on his face. He mostly keeps his distance for Carsten. They have this sibling rivalry thing going on. Every night when Carsten goes to sleep, Kiki knows that I am now free to love on him. He is all over me. And, of course, he gets his lovin' in all night long when he sleeps on my pillow above my head. His fat ass leaves no room for my head, but I don't mind. Carsten occupies my days, but my nights are Kiki's forever. :-)

UPDATE: 25 Things About Me... By Carsten Ramelow

I have grown and changed so much over the past few months, so I thought I would update all my fans on all my big accomplishments and quirky personality traits!

1. This week I started drinking my bottle on my own... right as Mommy is starting to wean me off of it and to my cup... go figure.
2. My favorite word is "no". I say it all the time... I very rarely say "Mama" or "Dada". I think this hurts Mommy's feelings, but why would I call them?... They are always around. Don't they have anything else to do?
3. Walking around in a circle over and over is so much fun! It makes my head feel a little funny.
4. Doors are still all the rave! My love for them has deepened over the last few months. I love to hide behind them and then mommy says "Where is Carsten?". Then, I pop open up the door and she says "There he is!". We do it over and over! I am really good at hiding. I fool her every time!
5. Daddy and Mommy play the stomping game with me. It is a lot of fun. They stomp and then I stomp around the room. We all have a good laugh.
6. One of my most favorite games is playing the laughing game with Daddy. When he is on the computer, I run into his office and we both just start laughing. Then, I run out of the room and back down the hallway and back into the office to laugh with Daddy again. I could do this for hours, but I get tired from all the running!
7. I still am not a fan of eating - I am way too busy to eat! Mommy has to distract me with lots of toys to shove that spoon in my mouth. And finger feeding myself??... forget it!
8. I think it is funny when I toot - especially when I do it in the bath tub and I make bubbles!
9. I love to be the center of attention. I love to sit in the middle of the room and show off while everybody watches me. A little vanity never hurt anyone...
10. I HATE to sit still - sitting in the highchair for too long or sitting still for a diaper change is like a death sentence! If I am not walking and exploring, I am not living!
11. This week I learned how to say "Wow". It doesn't sound exactly how mommy says it, but close enough.
12. I love playing chase race around the kitchen and living room. It's such a high when I finally catch Mommy or Daddy. They are pretty slow. I think it is true what they say. You really do get slow when you get old.
13. I love to read! When I hear the word "book", I get all excited... except when Mommy pulls out that Barney book with all the farm animals. It has these buttons that you push and they make horrible sounds. It scares the heck out of me every time and makes me cry.
14. I like to live on the edge... Mommy is always following me around and taking all the fun stuff away from me. She is such a buzz kill.
15. I am very independent. When will Mommy get that? She is so clingy... always wanting to play with me and kiss and hug me... Yuck!
16. I have perfected the art of the tempertantrum. I got the high pitched squeal going on and everything. Sometimes I even throw myself on the ground and cry so hard that I stop breathing... this hasn't proven to very effective, though. Mommy and Daddy just walk away. I got to come up with a new strategy...
17. I don't listen very often when Mommy tells me "No"... I just keep doing whatever I am doing. Sometimes I even laugh... it's a fun game I like to play. Besides, I tell mommy "No" all the time and she doesn't ever listen to me, so why should I listen to her? Duh!
18. I really like playing outside and having free reign. If you try grabbing me by the hand and directing me in any other direction other than the one that I want to go, I melt to the ground and just go limp. It works every time...
19. My hair is awful. When will these people start grooming me?? I am naturally handsome, but this mop on my head is taking away from my beauty!
20. I love when Mommy gives me a pedicure and manicure. Even us boys have to be pampered sometimes!
21. I put everything in my mouth to taste... except edible things. I especially like toilet paper and cardboard - yummy!
22. I am in love with Dora the Explorer... she is so hot!
23. Daddy taught me how to flush the toilet. They are already turning me into a little slave... making me do all their dirty work! I also really like the little knobs on the base of the toilet - they are all gooey and yummy! Mommy is always taking them from me and really making me angry! (see #16)
24. It is a lot of fun when Mommy chases me with the vacuum cleaner. It really likes to eat my toes!
25. I am not really that in to toys. They are mildly entertaining, but I prefer to spend my free time with my doors or exploring the world. Toys are for babies... I am too sophisticated for that nonsense.

The Biggest Loser... Obenhaus & Ramelow style!

The Ramelows vs. the Obenhaus'!

It's diet time (yes, I know that it is such a new year's resolution cliche). Last night Danyel and I made a weight loss pack, so to speak, with our friends Andrew & Amy. With the holidays gone now and leaving little more behind than our expanding waist lines, we have all decided to lose a few pounds. For the fun of it, we have entered a competition. The one who loses the highest percentage of their body weight wins bragging rights (we got to come up with a better prize than that guys). We probably need to set a time limit, like 1 month or so, but we can iron out the details in the coming days. I only gained 3 pounds or so over the holidays, but would like to lose about 6 or 7 - probably not enough to win the competition, but enough to fit back into my jeans a little more comfortably. Each of us can follow whatever diet & exercise plan that we want. The Obenhaus' have a treadmill, but we have Carsten to chase after, so I think we may have a leg up. May the biggest loser win!

Out with the old and in with the new!

Well, 2005 is history now. What a year it was. Most will probably agree that 2005 was a pretty lousy year... Hurricane's Katrina & Rita, the war still raging in Iraq, Bush still in office screwing up the world, Jacko being aquitted, The BTK killer, the avian flu scare, and of course the media overexposure of Hollywood crazies breaking up (please, no more Jen & Brad or Nick & Jessica sob stories!), hooking up (if only Tom & Katie would just dissapear... maybe they will take Brad & Angelina with them.), and the scariest of all - reproducing (poor Baby Sean Preston Federline). I even recently skimmed an article in Rolling Stone titled "The Worst Year Ever". When I thought about it, I realized that 90% of you that read my blog have suffered some kind of personal tragedy this year - much worse than an average year's losses. On a personal level, 2005 was pretty good to Danyel and I - and for one reason. We welcomed our first child into our lives. Despite all else, this event alone shaped our year. A miraculous and inspiring birth gave way to sleepless nights and stressful days at first, but we (and Carsten for that matter) adjusted pretty quickly. Though everyday is a new challenge, everyday is also a memory made. Our 8 lb. helpless little bundle is no longer a baby, but a "toddler". He has more than tripled his birthweight and is now walking and learning to talk. What a difference a year makes!

So, 2006 has arrived. New Year's Eve night, as the clock struck midnight, I kissed my hubby and said a short little prayer (as the 2000 pack of black cats popped off in the background). I asked that we and all our friends & family be blessed with everything that we wish for this year. Then, as I looked around at everyone enjoying the celebration, I just knew that my prayer was not only heard, but answered. I had this overwhelming feeling that this is going to be a good year for us all. Who knows... maybe we will even make another little Ramelow this year... :-)