I did not accomplish much today for various reasons (and one big one...Miguelito), so I need to get it done tonight. Why tonight? you ask...well, my housekeeper comes tomorrow and because I. just. need. to.

I thought listing it for all to see in blog-land would help me (the tired pregnant woman) find the motivation to get off my duff and just do it!

1. Empty and re-load dishwasher (didn't I do this morning? where do the dishes come from)

2. Pick up all Miguelito's toys

3. Start Miguelito's laundry

4. Bring in a case of diapers from the garage

5. Put out clean sheets for all the beds

6. Find a place to store all of Miguelito's art supplies (this will probably require re-arranging a cabinet in the kitchen)

7. File various items

8. Fold laundry and then put away

9. Iron a pile of Miguelito's clothes

10. Complete grocery list for the week (Monday evening is my usual grocery shopping day, but it was raining and I was not into getting soaked)

I'll be back with an update!

Update as of 1015p:

The dishwasher is re-loaded and kitchen is clutter free. Miguelito's toys are put away. Getting ready to switch his clothes to the dryer and hang up what needs to be air dried. Diapers..done. Clean sheets are out for the guest bedroom and Miguelito's big boy bed...when I go upstairs I will put out the sheets for our master bed. Weeded through the "file pile," but did not file the stuff yet...saving that for tomorrow. Grocery list is done. Miguelito's art supplies will have to wait until tomorrow to find their *forever* home.

We started our Fall semester of Music Together. Miguel loves his music class and he thinks Miss Jeanie is really fun! This semester is the Bongo semester, so Miguel really likes banging on the drums, the rhythms and the beats of the music.

We had a couple of play dates as well...one was at a good friend's house with lots of toddlers running around and the other was at the Galleria, where we played with friends, shopped at Lush (my new obsession), and had lunch at The Corner Bakery (yum!). Miguel was fearless in the playarea. He was not intimidated by the soft climbing structures and slid down all the slides on his belly. He is quite the climber!

ECI update: Miguel was evaluated by ECI a few weeks ago, and the verdict is his motor (fine and gross) development is on par with a 24-27 month old. Good news since he will be 20 months in 3 days. His speech is slightly delayed by 2-3 months, so he qualified for speech and adaptive therapy. The speech therapy is once a month and the adaptive therapy is twice a month. I am a little baffled by the adaptive therapy because some of the questions the therapists were asking if Miguel was able to do seemed more on par with much older child. For example, can he dress himself? Um, he is 19 months old. He can push his arms through shirt sleeves, but can't pull up his pants or pull a shirt over his head.

We had our adaptive therapy session today, and I am not quite sure what it is all about because everything the therapist asked me if Miguel could/would do was he does. Does he like to play with sand? Yes. Walk on grass? Yes. Paint with his hands? Yes. Color with crayons? Yes. Climb? Yes, as he climbed on and off of his new rocking horse. Imaginative play? Yes. Try to put on his shoes? Yes. You get the point. As far as his speech goes, he is saying quite a bit...mama, dada, uh oh, go go, dog, bee, buzz, meow, door, tigers (as in Geaux Tigers!), no, roll, moon, and he signs "more."  So, all that to say I think Miguelito is quickly gaining pace with his speech, so I am not sure how much longer we will qualify for ECI services.

Baton Rouge update: Electricity is back on at my parent's home and my brother's home. They are very fortunate because most of BR is still in the dark and some people will wait for close to 3 weeks before their electricity is restored. Trees still block major streets and most businesses remain closed. It will be awhile before life returns to normal in BR.

Miguelito thought the little girl popping out of the tunnel was hysterical!

Hey, Mommy, look at me! I'm climbing on a snake!

Miguelito loves to draw, especially on himself. In an effort to channel his creative side to paper, I went to Lakeshore Learning and picked up a few toddler appropriate art supplies. He loves his washable markers and crayons, but he really digs the washable tempera paint and the texture paintbrushes.

The tower Miguel is standing on is called The Kitchen Helper. I have coveted The Learning Tower for awhile now, but I really wanted a tower that would fold up out of the way when not in use...enter The Kitchen Helper. Miguel has always wanted to see what was I doing on the kitchen counter, and now all I have to do is put him in his tower and he is instantly a part of the action.

Baton Rouge update: My mom's sister got electricity today, so everyone has been hanging out at her house and they plan to sleep there tonight. Electricity is slowly being restored and my mom is hopeful she will have electricity at their house in the next day or so because Entergy was busy working at their substation all day. Schools are closed through Monday and possibly Tuesday, and the LSU football game versus Troy has been re-scheduled for November 15th. Your thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated.

Hmm, the paper is great, but I must draw on my arm.

Let's see...I'll take this one.

My masterpiece is coming together just the way I planned.

Come another step closer, Mommy, and I will paint the camera yellow!

Purple and gold...my two favorite colors!

The best part of painting is the kitchen sink bath at the end...I love water!

I have the life!

I spoke with my mom a few times yesterday, but by the afternoon I was not able to get through to her. She was finally able to get a call to go through this evening to let me know they are okay. Baton Rouge is completely without electricity. There are 485 stop lights and every single one of them is out. The only lights at night come from LSU and the Exxon plant on the Mississippi River. Trees are down everywhere and a few of my mom's neighbors have large trees through their houses. All of my relatives have minimal damage to their homes, and I am so thankful they are okay. The long time weatherman, Pat Shingleton, said Hurricane Gustav was the worst storm to ever come through BR. Now the fun part begins...clean up and waiting for electricity. Please keep everyone in Hurricane Gustav's path in your prayers.