~ The Princes and The Pea ~

slinking back with my tail between my legs......

2008-11-15T21:45:00.000-08:00

That's how it feels whenever I click over to this poor, dusty, abandoned blog.

Then I sit here with my fingers poised over the keys thinking "Hmmmm....where to start. This is ridiculous. Why do I bother?"

Maybe I feel about this blog as I do about writing long cheerful letters to accompany my Christmas cards. Like the letter is stupid, not completely truthful, and not something I don't want to do.

My extended family doesn't read this blog. They never have. Because I'm too private and they don't know that the blog even exists. So really, what's the point?

I don't know what exactly has transpired in the last several months to make it so that I don't want to share things in this venue- good or bad....but I just don't. And everything is really okay! Kids are fine, Big Al is fine, I'm okay - just waiting for my first appointment coming up on 12/9....having to sort of start over, but still on the right track for my surgery. Things are okay!

And for some reason....I have such an aversion to writing on this thing. I don't like it anymore. And that's sort of sad....if I go back through my archives, there's lots of stuff here! Lots of good memories. But I just get an "ick" feeling about it now....and I truly don't know why. So........ I'm out. I'm not going to delete the blog or anything....and who knows....maybe at some point I'll feel like writing on it again....but for now it feels like just another project that I have completely flaked on - and that doesn't feel good. Plus, it doesn't feel like it's for me...it feels like it's a performance of sorts....

For a blog to be useful and therapeutic for me, it would have to be under a false name, without any pictures, and it would be just for me to vent in. Not a bad idea really!

Anyway, drop me a note or find me on Facebook! Facebook is mindless and easy...and sometimes I post pictures of my darling little monsters.

And yet another update!

2008-10-17T11:28:00.000-07:00

So as it turns out, I can go to a surgeon who WON'T make me pay $6K upfront!! How about that! My insurance will cover everything, but the surgeon who I choose initially, wanted a big 'ol chunk of "fun money" for five years of "after care." Well, I got to thinking....and calling around....and checking with my insurance.....and that's sort of BS.

Um - What if I move? What if he retires? The bottom line is, I have great insurance and if anything happens to me or I have complications at any time - I can go to a medical facility, be treated, and not have to worry about it.

Right now, I'm trying to obtain copies of all the tests I've already completed for the first surgeon so that I can give them to the new surgeon. Hopefully, I won't have to start all over! At this point though, it's looking like it might be January - which honestly, is a great time to make a fresh start.

And I wouldn't mind having a frosted cookie or two with my kids just one more time this Christmas!

WLS - An update

2008-09-20T22:19:00.000-07:00

WLS - Weight Loss Surgery.

Look at me! Learning the lingo.

So I had my first appointment with the surgeon last week. It went very well! The good thing about choosing a practice that is about 99% bariatric-related, is that things are run like a well oiled machine. Talk about efficient! I'll more than likely be able to get the surgery done well before the holidays. And if that isn't reason enough to get out of making the damn turkey this year - I don't know what is.

Before walking in, I had already done lots of research and decided that I wanted to go with the Roux en Y gastric bypass surgery. There are a few different options, but this one seems like a good balance of great results and treatable/avoidable risks. Dr. Cirangle was in agreement. We discussed my history.....my various (and MANY) attempts at weight loss. My very first Weight Watchers meeting at the ripe old age of 10. He was absolutely sure that there wouldn't be any problem with my insurance. Luckily, Blue Cross is *awesome* about approving this particular surgery. We talked about this surgery being a tool, not a miracle. It's a great tool - a very effective tool, but there are lots of rules. Following the rules, will lead to great results and good health. Slacking off on the rules will lead to temporary results, and bad health. I'm committed to following the rules.

Since my appointment I've already had my phone consultation with the in-office dietitian (check!), made an appointment with my regular doctor for a current routine physical, scheduled an appointment for a phone consultation with the in-office psychologist, and plan on getting a few of the tests done on Monday while the big boys are in school. I have to have a chest x-ray, and upper GI series, and.....something else. Dr. Cirangle gave me prescriptions for each one. All I have to do is walk them into the hospital and have them done, and they'll fax the results to his office. See? Well oiled, I tell ya'. Before my paperwork can be submitted to the insurance for approval, I have to have the consult with the dietitian (done!) and also the consult with the psychologist which will happen this next week.

During my appointment last week, the doctor mentioned that it might be a good idea to go to a few WLS support groups during this whole process. I couldn't agree more. I've done a lot of reading on blogs, message boards, etc. and it's the first few months that are the worst. It's a rough recovery - mentally and physically. And there's always the chance that those around me might have little moments of crazy during my transformation.

For some people in my life....it may be hard to watch me shrink. I've always been heavy. It's always been my flaw. There have been many different levels of heavy - acceptable heavy....still very pretty heavy.....and I CAN'T LEAVE THE HOUSE heavy. There are lots of things I like about myself, and am proud of....but my body isn't one of them. Aside from it's ability to make cute and healthy babies (albeit only boys), I've always hated my body. The exception being the few years during my early twenties where I dedicated myself entirely to ME and became a total fitness guru. Crazy, right? I became a certified aerobics instructor, I taught swimming lessons and life guarded at the Y, the whole nine yards. Anyway, I was cute...but man...did I have to work crazy hard for it. We're talking 2-3 hours in the gym PER DAY. No meat. No fat whatsoever. No sugar ever. No soda. No caffeine. No eating after 7pm. Water. Veggies. Tofu. That is all. I was okay with it at the time - I was in the zone. I have three kids and a husband now. I can't devote that kind of time. An hour of exercise 4-5 times per week? Sure. I will commit to making that happen. But not 2-3 hours, 6 times per week. Who would fold all the laundry?

So that's where I am. I'll keep you posted.

Ok, now I feel bad about the "only boys" comment I made earlier.........

N, R, and J? I adore you. You know that. I wouldn't trade you for a hundred girls. Really! I wouldn't. You cute little monsters.

1st grade, 1st birthday, 1st soccer team

2008-09-10T21:01:00.000-07:00

Here's my biggest boy on his first day of school. What a trooper. I'm so glad he's liking it, and I love that the desks are in clusters rather than single file. Yay for crunchiness!

The baby had a high fever and (what turned out to be) Roseola on his birthday. Poor guy! We had a very low key family party for him, but he was pretty out of it.

Don't you love it when you get out of your bath to find lots of gifts waiting for you? And by the way - I did NOT buy that tank under the coffee table. R. loved it. So *someone* bought it for him. It wasn't me. That thing gives me the creeps.

It was the kind of virus that could only be comforted by Baby Einstein. And Daddy's chair. Look at him. Adorable even when he isn't feeling well. I could just eat him up. Sometimes his cheeks smell like kisses. He gets about ten million of them per day.

This is R.'s first year playing soccer. He really likes it. As it turns out (surprise, surprise) he's really competitive. He doesn't seem to get the concept of TEAM SPORT. It's him against EVERYONE ELSE.

This will be an interesting season!

naked

2008-09-01T10:13:00.000-07:00

You know - I've been struggling with what to do with this blog. It's become something that I think about every day with an "Ugh - I guess I should do that" attitude. Not good! I think it's because I feel like if I'm not going to be totally honest on this thing - I shouldn't bother at all. I don't want this to be a rainbows and sunshine only type of blog. Those kinds of blogs make me want to gag. I'm all about honestly - but am also sort of a private person...so sometimes I struggle with what to write.

Oh well, here goes.

It's been a hard summer.....my little sister has cervical cancer......she's having surgery in 6 weeks (they have to wait that long so that she can heal from the cone biopsy they did recently). After they're done, she'll have about a 60% chance of carrying a baby someday. The thought of not being able to have her own baby is heartbreaking for her. For all of us. Oddly, the whole situation has brought my sister and I closer....I really love her and would take some of this off of her shoulders if I could.

N. is doing well in first grade. He's at our local public school. He did better with the whole changing of schools thing than I did. It killed me to pull him out of his wonderful private Christian school. I still feel a lot of shame about it. The fact that he was one of 8 kids from kindergarten who were pulled out over the summer did make me feel a little better....in this economy - extra's like private school are the first things to go. We realized that paying for one child in private school is one thing - three is quite another. Luckily, he knows lots of kids at his school from soccer, tball, and his preschool. He got into a class with only 20 kids and his teacher is known for being great - I'm okay and so is he. He's a good boy, that one. He's gianormous. Seriously - he's such a big boy. It's astounding. He just started soccer and loves it - he's an awesome goal keep. We tried to get him into Pop warner football since that's what he really wanted to do - but he was too big for his age group, and too young for the next weight range, so he has to wait for next year. You should see that kid throw a football....I hate to put him into that: he's-big-he's-going-to-play-football box, but he's really good! He's lost a total of 8 teeth, and has the look of a 3rd grader....big 'ol awkward teeth! Every time he smiles I see dollar signs! Thankfully, our insurance pays a good chunk for orthodontics, because he's definitely going to need braces.

R. What can I say? His behavior has been awful. He has a good heart, but man.....he's a tough one. I could have TWELVE more kids and I feel absolutely confident that he would still be my hardest one. That kids spends half his life in time out. I would call Supernanny if it didn't require me to be on TV. When he's good - he's very, very good. When he's bad - lookout. I take solice in the fact that he's gentle and kind to small children and animals. That means he won't become a serial killer - right? I kid. He's stubborn, and isn't scared of anything or anyone. That's a tough combo when you're trying to discipline, you know? He pushes the envelope to the very edge.....it's hard. I've noticed that since N. has gone back to school, he's a little better. Almost like he's craving my undivided attention. As much as he loves Bub, I think he's still mourning not being the loved on, kissed on, worshipped little baby of the family anymore. I love him though - he's hysterical and clever. Definitely the "class clown" of our family. He's playing soccer this year, and is very excited to be on his very own team. Finally, he isn't on the sidelines watching his brother!

Bub is a wonderful baby. He turned one on the 26th and celebrated as much as he could given he was on day three of a high fever. It turned out to be Roseola. Poor guy was a mess for about a week. Would barely eat, was VERY fussy, and just generally unhappy. He's much better now, and is back to his old happy self. He's walking for little stretches here and there - about twenty steps at a time. He's following in his brother's footsteps who were walkers by thirteen months. He weighs 26 pounds and is very, very tall. We adore him....he's the sweetest baby. He has beautiful soulful (green!) eyes and undeniably red hair. He's such a hugger. He puts his arms around our necks and hugs us tight. I love it - I don't remember the other boys doing that as babies.

I probably shouldn't announce this yet, since the process hasn't even started yet - but I'm feeling "bare all " right now, so I'll do it anyway. I'm going to pursue gastric bypass surgery. I've freakin' had it. I've been battling my weight since I was 8 years old. It isn't ever going to be "fixed" in any other way. When I really bust my ass, I can lose 30 pounds. And then I slowly gain it back. 30 pounds is a drop in the bucket for me. I need to lose about 100. I'm done. I've had it. I'm not scared of the surgery - I'm scared of NOT having the surgery. Genetics is something that I can't battle anymore. I will always be overweight without this surgery. I'm too pretty to be this fat. Lol. My first appointment is couple of weeks. I'm excited. My insurance generally covers it, but I have to go through a battery of tests first. We would never be able to pay for the surgery out of pocket, so I'm praying that they'll cover it. The surgeon is confident that they will. I'm SOOO ready. I know that this is a controversial thing, but honestly - I'm totally not into hearing anything negative about the surgery. Especially from thin people who don't know how terrible it is to be overweight! I've done my homework. I've found an excellent, highly recommended surgeon. The danger for me is in NOT having the surgery. So if you don't have anything nice to say - please don't say anything at all! I didn't mean for that to sound bitchy....so I'm sorry if it did.

I think I'm going to post a bunch of kid pictures later.

I guess the blog drought is over for now!

Bub

2008-08-13T17:05:00.000-07:00

That's what we call him. "Bub," "Bubby," "Mamas" as in "Mama's Boy," and "Cookie." Lately I've been trying to call him by his actual name.....I think knowing his name would be a good thing!

I can tell that he understands more and more of what we're saying to him....there are a few catch phrases that he's very familiar with. If we say, "Hey Bub, whats in your mouth?" He immediately makes a "blech" sound, wrinkles up his nose, and spits whatever is in his mouth out for our inspection. Well trained, that one! If we say "Hey Bub, no no no no!!!" when he starts to climb the stairs - he looks over his shoulder and flashes us an adorable little grin - as if to say "hey, I didn't leave the gate down. YOU DID" and then scrambles up the stairs as fast as his chubby legs can carry him. If we say "Hey Bub! Are you hungry? Want some num num num?" He starts crawling over to his high chair while "air chewing." Once he's in his chair ,and he can see the food preparation happening he starts eagerly saying "MMMM!!!!!! NUM NUM NUM!!!!!"

Bub's favorite toy is the Playskool busy ball popper. He thinks it's fantastic. I've been meaning to take some pictures of him playing with it, but really - a video would be better. How else can I capture all of the screeching?

He adores his brothers, and the feeling is mutual. Luckily, they've both been very sweet to him and are very understanding when he knocks over their towers or ruins their race tracks. R. plays with him a little more than N. does - and so, they are especially close. Funny, I always thought that N. would be "the joint" between the other two brothers. It's pretty clear that R. will do the job instead. Most would say that it's typically the middle sibling who does this - but I wasn't sure how R. would react to the baby. I know I've said this before - but for all of his....um....indiscretions as a four year old human being - he's a wonderful big brother. He could work on being a better little brother....that's for sure.....but he's got the older brother thing down pat.

Typical for an almost one year old - Bub is into everything. The dishwasher, the fridge, the closet where the boys keep their shoes (he seems to have a bit of a shoe fetish just like N did....and still does.....) the pantry, and every and any drawer he can break into. We really need to update our childproof latches because they are now well over three years old.

Yesterday, Bub took three steps! It seems like he's making a very obvious effort to walk. I'm in no hurry! But sadly - he seems to be. And needless to say - he's huge. Just really tall and really solid. I swear he's bigger than his brothers were. I should weigh him to confirm....all I know is I ordered him some 18-24 month clothes for this fall, and most of the tops went back in exchange for the 2T. He's in 18-24 months now. All torso. Huge hands (see pool pic!) Again - no surprise there.

His hair is undeniably red. Paired with his light brown eyebrows, dark eyelashes, and huge round, greenish eyes - he's adorable. Going to the grocery store is an event, because I can't go two lanes without someone stopping to tell me how cute my baby is. Who doesn't love that? Of course - he's always clapping and smiling at the grocery store because he LOVES LOVES LOVES balloons. Have you ever noticed how many balloons there are in the average Safeway? LOTS! I'm cheap though - I only buy him one if we happen to be at the crap (dollar) store. Because....balloons are only - you guessed it - $1 at the crap (dollar) store! And they're $3.99 at Safeway. If I buy him a balloon, it'll be coming straight out of my Diet Pepsi allowance and we can't have that.

This year has just flown by. Truly - I can't believe my littlest guy is almost one year old. He's a wonderful, beautiful, splendid little child. We're so lucky to have him.

More issues than a magazine rack

2008-08-08T10:03:00.000-07:00

I have lots of pictures to post. The baby is just about 11 1/2 months old. I have a post in my head about that. I have a post in my head about the fact that my middle son is perhaps....a little bit crazy. And my 6 year old is acting like a teenager already. But I just can't post about these things now. I need to post about something that I don't have a picture for. Something that has been on my mind for....well....for as long as I can remember. Having children has magnified this issue by about a thousand. Here goes.
I really hate the sound of my children chewing. And my husband too. They are all ice chewers. As in - they go to the fridge, get a cup filled with too much "crunched" ice and water. They drink the water and then crunch on the ice for the next hour or so. They're even training the baby. He knows when there is ice around and crawls over to them Saying "num num num" enthusiastically on his way across the room. And chips. Or pretzels. Don't even get me started. When I have to listen to them crunching....it makes my hair hurt. I casually cover my ears while pretending to rest my chin on my hands. And they aren't necessarily chewing with their mouths open. My kids aren't being raised in a barn (some might argue that the jury is still out on that one........) I tell them all the time to chew with their mouths closed. They're pretty good about it. But I can hear them crunching anyway. Like fingernails on a chalkboard. It just kills me. And cereal! Cereal is a bad one....because they slurp it. Know what I mean? They simultaneously take a bite of the cheerios and slurp the milk off the spoon. And honestly - they aren't really being obnoxiously rude or loud - I'm just super sensitive to it. I don't say anything, because I know that it's me - not them - who has the problem.
Also....I can't stand talking to people on the phone while they are eating. It's awful. I can't even focus on what they are saying because I can't get past the chewing. Mind you, it's evident that they are taking small bites....trying to be quiet about it. I think that they think I don't know they're eating. But I know. Oh boy - do I know. It's as if I can feel their sandwich starting to ooze into my ear. It's all I can do to keep myself from quietly hanging up on them.

And there you go! A little peek into my craziness. From me to you. You're welcome.

"Staycation" - an attack.

2008-07-30T23:15:00.001-07:00

I know...I'm such a fair weather blogger. I don't have a good excuse for my absence either! I suppose I could tell you that I've been far too busy - what with all extravagant vacations and trips to the spa....but that would just be obnoxious. And also a lie.

Speaking of vacations, have you heard this term floating around? : "STAYCATION"
IE -
"Oh we're just going to stay here and really rest. You know, really take a break. Sit outside. Read a few books. Disconnect the computer and the tv and the phone. Enjoy each other. We're going to have ourselves a little STAYCATION.

Whoever thought that up should really be kicked in the shins. The idea that I could perhaps relax in my own home is just ridiculous! What about all the socks? What about the wayward pieces of foliage and two week old pieces of chicken nugget that find their way into the mouth of my youngest child? What about all the poop - In the diapers of the youngest, in the skid mark riddled undies of the middle child, and the monstrous, often toilet clogging poops from the oldest child? What about that? Can I sip an alcohol laden umbrella drink while unclogging the toilet? No? How about while I'm giving the "it isn't okay to pee on the side of the house" lecture to two half naked, trouble making boys? I mean I suppose I could enjoy a cocktail while I'm "mothering" but really - that wouldn't be responsible of me. You see, cocktails make me sleepy and I can't get tired when there's dinner to be made.

Yikes, I sound bitter.

I need a VACATION!!!

rant over.

More pictures of my baby with food on his face - the Patriotic Version

2008-07-07T09:38:00.000-07:00

He enjoyed his first cupcake in honor of Independence Day. Good practice for his upcoming birthday. He thought it was FANTASTIC.

The Dedication

2008-07-07T09:19:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago, we had Jack dedicated at our Church. The other boys were baptised as babies, but this church does things a little differently and it was just as special. The Family Pastor who also happens to be a good friend (and the Daddy of Jack's little girlfriend and her two older brothers who play with N. & R. ) said some lovely things about our little (huge) baby. Hopes for his future, that we will guide him in the right direction, and help him to grow into a man of faith. It was a really nice service. I always feel a real sense of contentment and assurance once my babies are blessed "officially."

The pictures from the day are TERRIBLE. This is the only one that sort of came out. Standing up there was the five of us, plus my Mom. Might have been nice to have a picture! I love my sister (who is reading this right now - hi!) but I will never put her in charge of pictures again! So you're off the hook as far as photography Shawnee. To be fair, I can't expect everyone to think like a scrapbooker. Am I the only one who walks through life composing pages during everyday events? Good Lord indeed!

The Stuff of Summer

2008-07-07T08:17:00.001-07:00

It was blazing hot last week. Jack icked up his shirt and had to go topless at the park.

N. and R. just wrapped up their first session of swimming lessons. They are both doing really well, and N. loved the opportunity to dive off the diving board the other day. We broke down and bought the family membership to the local pool - best money ever spent. They love to swim! Proving once again that they are their Father's sons, my boys happily got up at 5am the other day to go fishing. Armed with donuts, OJ, and all of their gear, they set out for one of the local fishing spots. They rented a motor boat and were on the water, polls out - by 6:00AM. They didn't get home until well after noon. The three of them had such a great time - both boys caught fish (a trout for N. and a blue gill for R.) and Daddy even showed them how to clean them. At that point, they morphed into their Mother and were completely disgusted. I was so proud of Big Al for taking some decent pictures of the trip. Next time though, I'm hoping he'll wipe the powdered sugar off of their faces first! Oh, and in case you're wondering - NO. I didn't cook them. They are in the freezer next to other frozen items that will never be eaten - lima beans, pork chops from 2006, you get the picture.

Please join us for dinner! You can sit by the baby.

2008-06-30T23:09:00.000-07:00

Baby's first spaghetti. I think he liked it!

Chickens on the Move

2008-06-28T08:26:00.000-07:00

When Big Al suggested that it was time to take the training wheels off of R.'s bike, I told him there was no way that he was ready for a two-wheeler. Boy was I wrong! Within moments, my four year old was riding his bike minus the training wheels. Very impressive if you ask me....I was eight when I learned how to do that! So either I have a very coordinated boy, or he has a very uncoordinated mother.

Jack turned 10 months old this week and has decided that he's finally ready to put his knees to good use. No more combat crawling for him! He has also discovered clapping his hands (adorable) and standing all by himself! By the looks of things, he'll be a 13 month old walker like his brothers. It makes me sad to be losing my baby to toddlerhood. I know I still have some time left....but it's just unbelievable how fast they grow.

I've been wondering for weeks if Jack was saying "Mama" or if it was just my imagination, but now I know for sure. Jack is calling me "Mama." Finally a baby who says "Mama" before "Dada." It's the least he can do.

He's growing up....slowly but surely....he's turning from a baby to a little boy. And you know what happens when my babies grow into kids....I find myself wanting another baby!

It's sort of like the Easter chicks that turn into chickens. The chicks are so cute and sweet...and the chickens....well....sort of big and ugly....but usually pleasant. Don't get me wrong - I like the big ugly chickens. They are more than welcome to stay, eat their weight in breakfast cereal, and poop in my living room. But eventually, I find myself wanting a new little Easter Chick.....those little yellow chicks....who doesn't love a fuzzy little chick? Honestly, I'm hoping that I don't get the urge for another. My hands are more than full with my three awesome (and exhausting) boys...but you never know.

Beating the Heat

2008-06-22T23:34:00.000-07:00

Holy hotness. It has been miserably hot. Fry an egg on the sidewalk hot. Make-up melting off my face hot. Thankfully, it was much cooler today.

Yesterday we went to a birthday party, and the kids had such a blast. Our friends had just set up their new quick set swimming pool, and had the sprinklers going on their huge enclosed trampoline as well. Talk about kid-paradise! N. jumped into the pool and didn't get out for about two hours. Good times! I remember being that way when I was a kid....we had an in-ground pool in our backyard, and my sister and I would be in there for hours. They also had a little baby pool set up for the sprinkling of babies that were in attendance. Jack LOVED this little pool! $10 at Toys R Us - I'm going to have to go get one!

He's the cutest baby....I just can't get over how wonderful and funny and sweet he is. He's a HUGE baby - a big 'ol love bug. And how cute is he in his new swim trunks and ultra stylish (and on sale) Old Navy swim top? Such a California boy.

Surrounded by bathing beauties already. I'm in for it when he's a teenager.

Early Childhood Trauma

2008-06-17T23:16:00.000-07:00

I'll just get right to it.

We were at the park today - as we are at least 3-4 times per week. It was lunchtime, and I had 5 kids with me. My three, and the two kids that I take care of a couple of times per week. The big kids finished eating their picnic lunches and went off to play. I was going to make a phone call from my cell, when I noticed a yellow jacket flying around. Jack was in his stroller right next to me. I got up to move to another spot because I just had a feeling the bee wasn't going to leave us alone. Once PB&J is in the air, it's all over. I sort of jerked the stroller out of the way as I got up to move our stuff, and Jack started crying hysterically. Weird, I thought. I figured he must have bitten his tongue. I mean what else would make him start crying so badly, so quickly? I gave him a drink of water from his sippy cup. At first he took a small drink, but then started waving his arms and shaking his head and SCREAMING/CRYING. As I took the sippy cup away, I saw something in his mouth.

It was the yellow jacket. The little jerk had flown into my baby's MOUTH and stung him.

And then I died. OH.MY.GOD. Obviously, the first thing I did was reach in and get it out of there. It was dead. And Jack was hysterical. I was "OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD" -ing as I was taking him out of his stroller. More often than not, my friend and her kids meet me at the park, but not today. So I was totally alone. All of my attention was on my baby. The other four could have been smoking cigarettes on the swings for all I knew. Jack took comfort in an open water bottle, but was clearly uncomfortable and moving his tongue around in an unnatural way. Still crying. A lot. He rarely cries...so it was breaking my heart to see him in so much pain. I didn't have any Tylenol with me. Dammit. Mental note - carry baby Tylenol in the diaper bag. After 15 minutes went by, and Jack was still breathing normally, I figured we were in the clear as far as a bee allergy was concerned. I left a message with our pediatrician....knowing what he would say. Try to get the stinger out. Right. Not an easy task when we're talking about a sting on the tongue of an almost 10 month old baby. I know the yellow jacket got him on the tongue because while he was crying, I could see a little red sting mark.

The kids were very understanding about having to leave the park early so that we could get Jack home. I gave him some Tylenol and a Popsicle cut up into bite size pieces. He loves ice chips anyway, so I figured if anyone deserved a Popsicle - it was him. Plus...I'm thinking the cold treat felt good on his tongue. He didn't seem truly better until about 3 hours later.

Now I just have to get the horrible vision out of my head.....my crying baby with a bee in his mouth.

Current Events - in pictures

2008-06-15T22:55:00.000-07:00

Real men (R) wear Lightning McQueen style toenail polish. His brother gave him quite a hard time about it - but he doesn't care. He shows his manly pedicure to everyone!

Kindergarten graduation. I can't believe he's going into first grade!

Here is the teachers aide, giving him a congratulatory hug....

and his awesome teacher....who we'll miss!!

What a pretty Grandma my boys have. She's the best.

"Trouble party of three - your table is now ready. Trouble party of three.............."

Um, sure Grandma. I'll try a frosted sugar cookie. I mean, if you insist.

He adores his baby brother. I know he's a cute boy. I get it. I get that you'd never know by looking at him, that he makes me so angry that I shake sometimes. Seriously - this kid wears me out. I'm too tired to get into it....maybe another day. In the meantime, it's a good thing he' s cute.

Happy Father's Day! We had our friends over for a BBQ tonight. The friends who also have three kids who are about the same age as ours. It was really fun. Big Al and I are so happy to have found a couple to hang out with! It's hard sometimes to find a family where I like the Mom, Big Al gets on with the Dad, and the kids play great together. Usually, there's at least one component missing...or there's a distance thing....or something. Anyway, it was a great evening. Here's three of the six enjoying ice cream sundae's for dessert. Apparently this was something that was best done without shirts on.

And Jack and his lady friend -
"I'm going to break us out of here darlin'....don't you worry. I'll get us out of here if it's the last thing I do."

9 and a half months

2008-06-09T07:25:00.000-07:00

Loves: Blueberries, fishy crackers, shoes, remote controls, magazines, dirt and other backyard finds. Loves Gerber yogurt snacks. Loves his sucky (pacifier). Gets very excited when he sees birds. Loves his brothers - R. in particular. R. is an amazing brother to Jack. Seems to enjoy spending time with his little friend M. (shown in the picture). She's an older woman - 15 months old. We see them about 3 times per week. I'm thinking an arranged marriage? I love her Mom, so it would work out great.

Activities: crawling army style - FAST. Pulling up on everything, playing chase with his brothers: they get down on the floor and call him and he goes after them! Loves to swing at the park and out in the yard. Loves to cuddle. He's very snuggly. Loves to play and laugh. If I kiss him just under his chin he cracks up in a fit of laughter. And then I want to dip him in ranch and eat him. He is very flirty with all of the admiring old ladies at the grocery store.

Physical Characteristics - Adorable. Red hair. Big, pretty eyes - blueish, greenish with one big brown freckle on his left one. He is huge. Almost 24 pounds and so, so tall. Clothing size: 18-24 months. Mild eczema - just like his brothers. Eight teeth and more on the way....and so....lots of drool. Cute butt.

He's such a wonderful little person. I can't believe he's almost a year old. Where does the time go?

This is what happens when the color wonder pens are left unattended

2008-06-09T07:22:00.000-07:00

Thanks Crayola, for your wonderful, non-toxic creations.

Check out my new blog!

2008-05-26T19:29:00.000-07:00

www.kindacrafty.blogspot.com

I hope to make it fun. and cute. and with owls.

Mother's Day

2008-05-21T07:42:00.000-07:00

The best Mother's Day gifts this year: The following picture set, taken after church while the boys were still dressed in their "nice" clothes, and this - The Cricut die cutting machine. It was a gift from me. It was so thoughtful of me to get it for myself. I was really touched by my generosity. Anyway, the rumors are true - this is one fantastic little tool. I LOVE it.

My Mom used to tell me that I'd end up with a bunch of ornery, red headed little boys as payback for being such a brat to my little red headed sister. Funny how things work out! I can think of worse things. You know what will happen though - my sister is going to get a raven haired little girl and I'm going to be just a little bit sick inside. That is....until I can hold her and spoil her and when she is a sassy little 3 year old nightmare - she won't be my problem. See, now that's karma in action.

Oh, and for anyone who is curious - Jack is up to a whopping 23 pounds and is 32.5 inches long. We don't call him Mini-N for nothing.

The Mother's Day Tea

2008-05-18T19:10:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was a very fun day. I got to leave the house with a purse instead of a diaper bag, get into the car, and leave. ALL.BY.MYSELF.

The End.

Ok, as exciting as that was - that wasn't really the end. My Mom took the morning off so that I could attend a very special Mother's Day Tea at N's school. The kids had apparently been preparing for this for some time, and I was really looking forward to it. It isn't very often that I get to spend time with just N!

The event was held in one of the multipurpose rooms at school. There were tables set up with four sets of moms/kids to each table. There were many lovely "tea party" type snacks and desserts. Before walking into the room, the kids all took our arms and escorted us in. It was so cute. The seating was assigned, and when we found our places, we were met with some really sweet gifts! A beautifully decorated altoids tin, and inside - a shrinky dink pin of me! N drew a picture of me wearing jeans and nothing else. Now it is forever saved as a lapel pin. Love it. We also had some cute cards and a beautiful coaster! This is a picture of N. with his two bestest friends and fellow park-goers. Funny enough, they were wearing the same shirt that day!

After we had tea, juice, fruit, croissants, etc. the children put on a little show for us - The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Once that was done, each child was called to the front where the teacher gave him/her a rose. We had to meet our child at the front of the room. He/She would then give his/her Mom the rose and whisper in our ear - "I love you Mom. Thanks for coming." Wonderful, cheese-y goodness. I sure do love this boy.

He just kills me.

2008-05-08T23:53:00.000-07:00

R: (Hugging me...after a big fight, time-out, and finally - his apology)
"I love you Mommy.....I'm sorry I was being bad."

Me: "It's okay honey....I just really need you to listen next time. I love you too."

R: "How much do you love me?"

Me: "More than all the stars in the sky."

R: "I hate being in time out."

Me: "Well, you're the one who put yourself there."

R: (looking irritated)

R: "Mommy? Can I tell you a secret?" (arms still around my neck)

Me: "Sure" (I give him my ear)

R: (whispers) "You're fired." (and walks away)

I'm telling you - I couldn't make this sh*t up if I tried.

Would you believe we just got back from CHINA???

2008-04-28T16:12:00.001-07:00

No? You wouldn't believe it? Well you shouldn't. We didn't go to China, I've just been slacking off in the blog department.

I wish had some riveting stories to tell, but I don't. Things are going well though! The boys are busy with: school, T-ball, and a new bike (N) army-crawling, sitting up, snacking on lots of new foods, and being absolutely precious (J) and getting into trouble, chatting relentlessly about nothing in particular, and calling me a "mean old lady" every chance he gets (R).

The baby is eight months old already. I can't believe how fast the time as gone - it seems like he was just born! He has eight teeth already - one for each month. I love him. He's fantastic. So happy, so gorgeous, such a nice little fella. He's super friendly to people which is great, but he always has to know where I am. If someone else is holding him, he'll smile and play along, but he's always looking around for me - "wheresthemama, wheresthemama, wheresthemama....OH! THERE'S THE MAMA!!!!" (big smile) and then all is well.

In celebration of his turning eight months old, we decided it was time for him to sleep in his crib. I know. So crazy. He's been in the co-sleeper all this time. He sleeps great in the co-sleeper, but he's also about to crawl and is pushing his big self up and I just don't need for him to fall out and hurt himself. Wonder boy that he is, I put him down in his crib for the first time the other day when he was really tired, turned on some music, and he fell asleep on his own and stayed there without a problem. What a peach.

R. is his complicated and hysterical self. So sweet. Such a nightmare. So thoughtful. Such an instigator. Big sweet eyes that well up when I put on my scary voice and REALLY yell at him because I've HAD IT. Sneering little lips that call me every name in the book on his way to the time out spot. He hugs me, kisses me, tells me I look like a princess, and can still fit in my lap while we read books. Snags things out of N's hands just to drive him crazy. *Screams* at anyone who dares to cross him: "JUST BE QUIET YOU STUPID DUMMY" (just an example)Is a VERY. LOUD. TALKER. ALL. THE TIME. Slaps. Is only quiet when sleeping. He's wonderful to Jack. Gentle. Sweet. Encouraging. He truly adores his baby brother. Dances a lot.....prefers to do so naked. Imitates people. Well. Makes us laugh until we cry. This is R. All these things and more. He's a cool kid. He's exhausting. The next Jim Carey? I wouldn't doubt it for a second.

N. is doing wonderfully in school and truly loves the time he spends there. I like going through his Friday folder and seeing his work from the week. His handwriting has improved so much, his journal entries and pictures are so great. I'm proud of him. He recently got a new bike with 20 inch tires. His old bike was just too small. Still, when I saw the new bike when he and Big Al got home from the bike store, I couldn't believe his BIG it looked! Such a BIG KID bike!

Yesterday, Big Al took the boys fishing at a local reservoir. They didn't catch anything, but had a great time. Next time they're going to rent a row boat as they insist that it's impossible to catch anything from the dock. I think it's impossible for R. to catch anything because he is just SO.LOUD. We're so lucky to live where we live. This is about 15 minutes from our house. Fifteen minutes in the other direction would take us to the beach. I hope we never have to move away.

Big Al and I are fine. Just trying to keep up with these boys. I've been dropping hints about trying just one more time for a girl. He thinks I'm out of my mind. I'm not out of my mind - I'm just stupid. Not stupid - a dreamer. A very, very, impractical dreamer. I've always been sort of proud of my impracticality. As if I'm above making wise decisions. "I Live in the NOW,dammit!!" I'm the kind of person who throws her hands up and says "Who cares if we only have one bathroom and we'll never be able to move to something bigger/better in this market! It'll all work out! We only live once! Let's do this!"

I've been scrapping a lot more lately, and have been meaning to take pictures of all my new layouts. I'll get to it eventually. I'm thinking of starting a second blog that is all about scrapbooking, and creativity, and pictures that turn out really well (I'd call it "photography", but being that any 'good' pictures I end up with are because of luck.......it doesn't seem right) and crafty inspiration. I LOVE crafting, scrapping, etc. and just wish I could find more time. I feel so good when I'm making things. If only I could feel that good when exercising. My ass would be considerably smaller.

My dear boy is six years old.

2008-04-15T22:33:00.000-07:00

And "dear" he is. So, so sweet and good. I know, I know. This is mushy....but really. This boy is everything a Mother could want in a son. Kind, easy going, smart, SO caring, funny, polite, expressive, curious, honest, generous, understanding, TOLERANT (he has this one brother in particular.....), and the list goes on and on. One thing I've really noticed since he has started Kindergarten is that he's really bloomed socially! Kids love him, teachers love him. He seems to be...dare I say it....popular! When I pick him up from school, so many kids go out of their way to say goodbye to him. He's friendly now - not painfully shy like he used to be. He's happy...and I love that. Anyway, the main thing is this: I just *know* that he'll take care of me when I'm super old and have strange hairs coming out of my ears. And that really means something to me.

The big day was last week. After dropping R off at preschool, we went to Starbucks for a celebratory hot chocolate (him) and coffee (me) before school. I made some fun surfboard cupcakes for him to share with his classmates, which were apparently a big hit. That afternoon we went to the park as is our daily routine. I don't hate the park the way I used to now that N's friends, and their very cool Mom's come as well. It's sort of like a playdate for everyone. All 7 kids play together (siblings too) and we get to talk.

We had planned on going bowling on N's birthday, but because Big Al took him a few days prior - we skipped it. It worked out fine though. N opened his gifts, and then we went to the boys favorite pizza place for dinner. It was hard to tear him away from two particularly cool gifts - The Razor E100 electric scooter from Big Al and I, and Heely's roller-shoes from Grandma. I was sort of worried about the Heely's but he took right to them - he's actually really good at it.

After the boys spent God-only-knows how many dollars worth of Grandma's quarters on video games, and the "grabber" machine, we went home and had cake. The bowling ball/bowling pin cake. The grand finale of the birthday season. That's it. No more. No more cakes, cupcakes, baked goods of any kind. Well...not until....Friday......when I have to make 4 dozen cupcakes for a bake sale/silent auction at R's school. Oh well. At least I had a week off!

All in all, N had a great birthday. At least that's what he told me as I tucked him in that night.

However - Six has brought with it something sad.

He calls me "MOM" now. Not the usual "Mommy.........."

"MOM"

He very sweetly but seriously told me that it was time for him to start calling me Mom. Because that's what six year olds do. He got this idea from a friend of his, but I can tell that he really feels that it's time. I'm trying to get used to it, but every time that sweet face looks at me and calls me something other than "Mommy" it's like a knife in my heart. Silly, I know. I just love him so much....and dammit I'm still his Mommy.

Baby Talk

2008-04-06T22:40:00.001-07:00

My baby. He's getting so big. Now when he's in the bath, he splashes and looks at me for a reaction. I laugh. He laughs. And then we do it again. And again. And again! He still loves to blow raspberries. Yesterday he did it for about 15 minutes straight while we were driving. When he's on his blanket in the family room surrounded by toys, he'll scootch himself around. I'm not sure if he's "aiming" in any particular direction. I just know that if I leave him in one spot and then go throw a load of wash in the dryer - he is usually about 6 feet away from where I left him when I return. He's also starting to push up onto his knees and rock back and forth. I love how he looks at me to see my reaction when he's doing something new. So sweet. He's already too tall for his little entertainment/activity/circular thing. He LOVES his rain forest jumper thing though. He gets a serious workout in that one! He's sitting up pretty well, but appreciates the support of a Boppy. The whole tip-on-over thing gets old.
Today I brought him up to his room to take some pictures. Having gotten quite a few scrapbook pages done this weekend, I was in the mood to take even more pictures! Of course I did what I always do....I played the "lets see if I can avoid using the flash!" game. Every good photographer (which I am NOT) will tell you that the best pictures come when you DON'T USE THE FLASH! And whatever you do - DON'T USE THE AUTO SETTING! Do I use the auto setting? Yeah. But I'm working on that. Ultimately, I need to take a class.

And as for my wonderful owls...I mean JACK's owls....I love them. HE loves them....I meant to say that HE loves them. I don't have a problem and I don't need an owl intervention. I can quit owls anytime I want to. I wouldn't hold your breathe though.

Cheerios!

2008-04-06T22:15:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? Baby Jack is eating Cheerios. He loves them. He loves the challenge of the pincer grasp, and of the Cheerios long journey from the side of his slimy little fist into his equally slimy little mouth. I love watching him work out the cereal-y details, and even had a little bit of a moment the other day when I realized I was putting Cheerios into a ziplock for the diaper bag: No! We can't be here already!! Is it Cheerio time already? Wasn't he just born??

What I'm *not* loving is.....Cheerios on my socks, Cheerios under the table...Wayward Cheerios smashed under his chin, in his diaper (talk about the amazing voyage)....they are everywhere. Sweeping be damned - they are everywhere.

I have video! The "footage" isn't exactly riveting and there's a whole lot of background noise (In *my* house?? Imagine that!) "Logan" is N's friend from school who was over for a play date....just in case you were wondering. Honestly, despite how things look - I'm not growing a "boy tree" over here!

A Parrot-y Pirate-y Party

2008-03-31T14:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was THE BIG COMBO BIRTHDAY PARTY. I wrote that in ALL CAPS to convey that this was a much anticipated and much prepared for event. Every time I throw a party, I'm really happy with how it all turns out. However. The days before said party are always....well.....overwhelming.....because I'm controlling and bossy.....and maybe a little bit of a perfectionist where parties are concerned. Poor Big Al. He had last week off and he spent the whole entire week "working for the man" well....in this case...."the woman." Me. Having a party is always the best way to get household loose ends - tightened. You'll notice my sign on the lawn....I felt bad about threatening little children, but we just re-seeded the lawn! It's a mess thanks to a rough winter and pesky squirrels. I didn't want all of our lawn-nursing to be for nothing because of 14 kids and a two hour party! It worked. No one walked on the lawn. And hey - at least I stayed with the theme of the party!

For the entertainment, we had the Happy Birds (http://www.happybirds.com/) come with their menagerie of wonderfully beautiful and talented birds. This went well with our pirate themed party! The kids absolutely loved the show - and so did the parents! R. invited six friends, and N. invited six friends - so it was a nice sized group. Not too big, not too small. The show started inside with one baby bird (a darling little bird named Sunshine) and her handler - Julie. While this was going on, her husband Ed set up outside on the deck where the bulk of the show would take place.

The show was so cool! These birds were amazing. They spoke, did neat tricks, played games. Really entertaining. The birds really were...."happy" birds! Julie and Ed were very professional, yet very sweet and funny with the kids. However, it was very clear that these birds were their babies and they were very careful with them - giving the kids clear instructions on what was and wasn't okay for them to do. The kids were all really respectful and just totally taken with the show which was great. I don't know if I've ever seen so many little kids (some 3/4...some 5/6) captivated by anything for such a long time!

All the kids got a chance to have a bird on their arm, but the birthday kids got special treatment - kisses from the birds and other neat tricks! Another thing I really appreciated, is that Julie made sure to give me very specific photo opps in addition to some great candid ones that I got on my own. She must be a scrapbooker, because she really seemed to understand the importance of "the shot!"

The show lasted about an hour, and then it was time for lunch and cake. What might Petsmart, Costco, and me all have in common? Well....this cake. I ordered a chocolate cake with white frosting and ZERO decoration from Costco. We got the pirate ship and treasure chest from the aquarium department at Petsmart, and then to Safeway for a frozen Sara Lee pound cake which I carved into an island. All I had to do was ice the pound cake and top it with brown sugar to look like sand, mix up some blue frosting and make waves with it on top of the cake and then use my scrapping stickers to make a cute black flag with the boys names on it. Totally easy and very cute! If anyone would like to see a much better picture of the cake, just let me know. I didn't post it because I forgot to take a "blog" picture of it - (one without the kids' names on it)

All in all it was a great party. The kids all had such a nice time and I think the parents did too. The entertainment was great and as always...I had lots of fun decorating! Of course in all the commotion, I forgot to take a picture of the table which was decked out in a treasure map table cloth, pirate head decoration and a big parrot dressed up as a pirate surrounded by treasure!

I can't even tell you how surreal it was to have such magnificent birds right there on my deck!

One thing is for sure - this party was scrapbooking GOLD!

N.'s actual birthday is next week and we promised to take him bowling that evening. I'll be making special cupcakes for him to bring to school and then a bowling cake (by request) for that night. Besides the Pac Man cake, the Pirate Cake, the Surfboard cupcakes for next week and the upcoming bowling cake....I made these (with a little help from Oriental Trading Company) for R.'s birthday celebration at his school just before Spring break.

I am SO.DONE.WITH CAKE!!!

Make a Wish and Blow out the Peeps!

2008-03-26T21:09:00.000-07:00

Easter was a two for one holiday for us. R. turned 4 on Easter Sunday! It was a fun and FULL day. The kids woke up early as usual, and were delighted with their Easter baskets from the Easter bunny.

*****See that baby bottle candy in R.'s hand? I HATE those. I am fundamentally opposed to those baby bottle candies. But every time he sees them in the store, he wants one - and every time - I say NO. I figure we'd let the "Easter Bunny" get him one. This way, *I'm* still sticking to my guns. Get it?
Even baby Jack got an Easter basket - and even though his was the only basket that didn't contain anything edible, he still managed to put every little Easter toy into his mouth.

After R. opened his birthday presents from Big Al and I, we all enjoyed a big Easter breakfast. After that, we got dressed and ready to go to R's favorite place (and I realize that I'm outing myself here): The Boardwalk. So the five of us along with my Mom and sister piled into the van and headed to the beach. We got there right when they opened and managed to get on all of the boys favorite rides before it got too busy. It was a warm and beautiful day! Oh how they love the Boardwalk. They were so happy to be there and had a great time. They were cooperative too! What a bonus! The baby was a total angel - totally content in his stroller.

You know, I still get a kick out of taking the kids to the Boardwalk. As often as we go, it's still so fun for me to reminisce about all the many days I spent at the Boardwalk with my family when I was growing up! We're so lucky to live where we live. Not because of the funnel cakes - but because of the beautiful beaches and beautiful weather.

<------Look. Don't accuse me of taking their picture like this to show off their Boden shirts. I TOTALLY wasn't doing that. Oh my gosh, wait 'till you see the two Boden outfits I got R. for his birthday. He was just beside himself...well...I was anyway.

After the Boardwalk, we went home and insisted that the exhausted and sun kissed boys take a nap. Later on, my mom and sister came over for Easter ham and my mom's famous potato salad. R. was more than willing to open a few more presents from his aunt and grandma, and then.....the cake.

R. was thrilled with his cake, and so was I. A few weeks ago, I asked him what kind of cake he'd like for his birthday. Without hesitation, he said that he wanted a Pac Man cake. It's his favorite game to play on the computer. I was *so* excited to make this cake. It's a fun throwback to my *80's* era! I LOVED to play Pac Man when I was a kid. On Friday nights, we'd go to the pizza "parlor" and play Pac Man. Anyway, this cake was well.....a piece of cake........to make and it turned out super cute (I think.) Of course, what made it was the vintage Pac Man wrapping paper that I found online. It was still in it's Hallmark flat wrap and the price tag was still on it. $1.00. Inflation! Twenty years ago, one of those flat Hallmark wrapping paper packs was $1.00. Now they're about $4. Crazy.

Anyway....Happy Birthday to the funniest, silliest, smartest, most clever, most mischevious, warm hearted little monster I know. I love you.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-21T21:52:00.000-07:00

I know. I agree with you. This is indeed the most precious baby ever born. Okay - well, he's the cutest baby born this year. Alright - well, this picture is at least the cutest picture you've seen today, right?

I love having a baby. I'm enjoying this little guy so much. He's wonderful and lovely and perfect. I can't believe he's just about 7 months old already. So thats.....lets see.....about 900 days from when he'll call me a shithead for the very first time. Aw, Milestones. They just grow up so fast, don't they?

Okay, so I admit that the green-topped carrot as a prop might not have been the best idea. He (of course) couldn't keep it out of his mouth, and despite what our bunny rabbit and guinea pig friends would have us believe - they don't taste very good!

And here he is enjoying his new favorite pastime - blowing raspberries!

Go Sox!

2008-03-21T21:32:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was N's first real T-ball game. Much to our surprise - the whole team did amazingly well! It was actually....a GOOD game! The practices paid off as they really seemed to know what they were doing. Even the coaches were pleasantly surprised. The kids were adorable in their uniforms and excitement was in the air. N. got three outs in one inning and I literally cried I was so proud of him!

Silly, I know. I was there with my team hat on, SLR around my neck, video camera in hand and watching in awe as he just....played the game! He just seemed so much older and wiser....watching the game, knowing what to do before he needed to do it, catching the ball and knowing exactly where to throw it, tagging kids out and then giving his coach a big 'ol high five with a big smile on his face. A jock. Still so sweet, but part of him is just such a big boy now! He's lost 6 teeth and his two front grown up teeth are about half way down. I can see that he is going to look so much older once they're completely in. It's weird! He's almost 6 years old. How did that happen??? Wasn't he a curly headed, juice- swilling, toddler with a serious Blue's Clues obsession like.....5 minutes ago? Time sure flies. He's such a good boy.

Boo-Hoo

2008-03-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday after I picked N. up from school, he claimed that he was STARVING and needed a snack before we went to the park. I didn't want to go all the way home, I forgot to bring something along as I usually do, and the baby was sleeping in his car seat. I didn't want to have to wake him up just yet. I told the boys that they could get fast food chicken nuggets and some juice. No fries. So that's what we did. We went through the drive-through and each kid got a 4 pack of chicken nuggets and some orange juice to eat on the way to the park. From the back I hear:

N: "BOO. HOO" (not crying, he said the words "boo. hoo."

Me: "What's wrong?"

N: "So sad"

Me: "?????"

N: "This isn't a happy meal, it's a SAD meal. A very, very, SAD meal. No fries......no toy......just some sad, sad, chicken."

T-Ball

2008-03-05T20:48:00.001-08:00

Another milestone in the life of an American boy. T-Ball. And so it begins.

So far, N. likes it quite a bit! He's got an amazing arm on him and is great at catching the ball as well. Great coordination. He's really looking forward to "pee wee" football this Fall when he'll finally be old enough to play. He's counting the days!

Anyway, he's had a few t-ball practices and is looking forward to Opening Day this weekend.

Guess who has TONS of time on her hands (right) and volunteered to be the Team Mom? Yes......yes....I did. Ordering uniforms, hats, embroidery for the hats, organizing snacks, trophy's, coach gifts, parties, etc. Talk about jumping right in! Honestly....I did it because it's good for me to do things like this. I know this will sound crazy to those who know me well....but I'm really, really, self conscious and am not what one would call....a "joiner." People seem to like me (strangely enough!) but I really struggle with self doubt, and doing new things really brings it all to my internal surface. I'm SUPER good at hiding it thanks to years of practice....but still. I have three kids. Kids who are and will continue to be active in sports and other things. I need to do stuff like this! And so I am. At least I'll get to make some baseball themed cupcakes when all is said and done.

There are twelve kids on the team. Eleven boys, and one girl. Bless her adorable little heart. She reminds me of a little "Mam" I know!

Big Boy!

2008-03-05T20:42:00.000-08:00

As of the 6 month check up: 19 lbs, 29 inches long. It must be all the "banana-cado" (banana and avocado) his favorite pureed combo of the week.

Look at his complexion. Baby skin...it's amazing. It's no wonder I have a hard time keeping my lips off of his cheeks for two seconds.

Six Months Old / Kids, kids, kids.

2008-02-26T17:56:00.000-08:00

My how time flies. I can't believe my brand new little baby is already 6 months old! His 6 month check-up is on Thursday. I can't wait to find out what he weighs and how tall he is. Sure, I could weigh and measure him here at home, but it seems so much more official to get the low down at McDreamy's office. I know that he fits perfectly in size 12-18 month clothes.

One thing is for sure - he's a sweetheart. Just a love. It's a known fact that I'm a baby addict, and this guy isn't helping my addiction at all. I adore him and his cute baby ways. His toes. His BIG beautiful still-to-be-determined eyes (I think they are at least green-ISH.) I love how he cuddles into me. How he lights up when his Daddy comes home. I love watching him study a new toy.....eyebrows furled, lips pursed, touching it with his dimpled little hands, and turning it around so carefully before instinctively shoving it into his mouth. I love how he GOBBLES his fruit puree's down with such gusto and happiness. I love how he looks at his brothers and how they look at and play with him. Sigh. My baby. What can I say? He's my most wonderful one yet. I know, I know. I shouldn't say that. I adore my boys to the moon and back and they know it. I just mean that in terms of the "sweet" factor, this baby takes the cake. I can't quite explain it....it's his disposition. He has a beautiful soul.

Believe it or not, I find myself thinking about having another baby in a couple of years. N and R are so close! I don't want Jack to feel left out. I oughtta knock out one more so that he has a sibling who is closer in age. Uh....Did you buy that excuse? I'm so grossly impractical. Seriously. What kind of crack am I on?? I think that as long as I'm young enough, I'm going to keep wanting another one. I just love them! I'm crazy like that. I know that I'm at least a little bit crazy, because these boys? These boys drive me NUTS. Seriously. They cause me to see red at least once a day. At least. What can I say? I sort of like craziness. The wrestling. The potty jokes. The loudness. The stickiness. Crackers and play dough in my carpet. I must on some level....enjoy these things! These kids are just so fun though. Never a dull moment around here. You know, between the beatings they give each other over matchbox cars, and their perfecting the fine skill of burping the alphabet.

Today R. told me that he loved me because my hair is "stylish" and because I'm "a darling." And so, I forgave him for flushing wads of non-flushable wipes down the toilet and clogging it up.

Again.

I about died laughing....but he had no idea why.

2008-02-21T07:42:00.000-08:00

Overheard while they were playing checkers......

N.: "Okay R., so these are the BLACK GUYS and they are in charge."

R. : "And now they're going to JUMP ME, right?"

Blue Ball Park

2008-02-20T20:09:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know how that sounds.....this park does have an actual name, but this is what my kids call it. Blue Ball Park. And I imagine that there are a lot of kids who call this lovely park by this.....less than lovely name.

We spent much of Monday playing at the park, and taking a long walk along one of the trails nearby. Big Al had the day off, so we were able to spend the day together which was great. It was a little chilly, but we had a good time anyway. Now that it's raining again, I'm glad that we went while we had the chance. Besides, it was a great opportunity to test drive my new Ergo baby carrier. My little guy has outgrown the Bjorn.

He's SO tall. Way taller than N. was at almost 6 months. Now that he's eating actual food twice per day, he's just growing at what seems like lightening speed. Anyway, I LOVE the Ergo much more than I ever loved the Bjorn. I never liked slings...tried the mei tai....eh....no thanks......but this is perfect. I wish I would have had it with the first two. It's really fantastic.

And here we have...the controversial picture. Admittedly, there was a time when I would have flown to the moon before letting anyone take a picture of me FROM THE BACK. However, I'm proud of the fact that I'm down 25 pounds since the first of the year. I have a long way to go, but 25 down is certainly a start. So anyway, here we are....just the 5 of us. N., R., Baby Jack, myself, and my big 'ol rear. Loud and proud, baby. Loud and proud.

Kinda Crafty......

2008-02-18T10:35:00.000-08:00

Last week was Teacher Appreciation week at N.'s school. I decided to whip up a few gifts. For his teacher, I made a button bouquet with floral wire and buttons from my gianormous button box. I can't take credit for the idea - I saw it somewhere and made a mental note. It may have been from one of my Home Companion magazines....I can't remember. Anyway, after making the "flowers," I decided they needed a vase....a glass basil jar would have to do. My basil leaves are now living in a ziplock bag. No big deal though, because once covered with some spare scrapbooking paper and adhesive ribbon, the jar made a perfect vase for the button bouquet. His teacher loved it!

For the TA, I stamped a set of birdy-themed notecards. They turned out okay....not great. I love the owl one of course.

Pardon the bad lighting on the notecards...

While on a crafty roll, I decided to make my Mom a gift for Valentines Day. This is just a paper piecing, framed in a simple black 8x10 frame. The hearts each have an initial for the loves in her life. Her late husband (My Dad), me, my sister, and each of her grandchildren. She loved it and it was fun to make. Funny how the simplest things sometimes make the best little gifts.

Yesterday I went through my scrapbook supplies and PURGED a ton of stuff. If I've had it for 3 years and haven't used it....I'm probably not going to use it. There's so much....I'm probably going to put it on ebay as one huge lot. It's mostly embellishments....new in their packages....plus tons of paper......just taking up space. I've been finding time to scrap again, and I'm loving it as much as ever. Not every page is a winner, but the process is really therapuetic for me in terms of stress relief!

Boys are Cool

2008-02-13T17:17:00.000-08:00

Most of Jack's wardrobe is Zutano. First of all, it's adorable. Secondly, it washes beautifully and just gets softer and softer. Third, it's affordable and mixes and matches well. Anyway, when I saw this cozy sherpa pull-over, it was a no-brainer. LOVE IT! It reminds me of what I already know. Despite the beating of eachother (the older two), the ENDLESS toilet (more specifically - POOP) training (seriously. SERIOUSLY.) the potty talk, the ugly toys......

Boys are indeed - cool.

Curly

2008-02-01T11:26:00.000-08:00

R. isn't known for having pretty hair. His older brother is. But I've been conducting an experiment to see how his hair would look grown out a little. I love it! It makes him look younger and softer....which is a welcome look for my tough-little-cookie of a 3 (almost 4!) year old.

Tall

2008-02-01T11:21:00.000-08:00

Pardon the basket of laundry.....

Wow. Big Al is 6'5. Here he is, sleeping on the couch with N. N....who isn't yet 6 years old. Unbelievable. I mean...I know my kids are tall, but when I saw them like this I was just struck by the comparison between these two. At only 5'5, it won't be long before I am the shortest one in the house by a long shot!

A Break in the Weather

2008-01-31T19:08:00.000-08:00

After days of rain, Monday was nice. Well, it was cold....but the sun was out and that was good enough for us. Big Al had taken the day off, so after N. got out of school - we brought the kids to the park. Much to their delight, the bocce ball court was flooded. Most of the other parents were yanking their children out of the water....telling them that they didn't need to get wet, etc. Not me! I'm a real stickler about some things, but the "puddle battle" is one that I never pick. Keeping my kids out of a puddle is much like trying to keep the white off the rice. It was great to get outside after being stuck indoors for so long. Plus, I had a great time taking pictures!

Baby Jack took his first real turn on a swing. He was thrilled! I love watching him experience new things. It never gets old, you know?

This one of the baby with his Daddy is my favorite shot of the day. It wasn't posed. My big tough husband is and has always been affectionate with the boys, but he's especially taken with this little guy. The feeling is mutual I think.

Recipe for Success

2008-01-28T12:54:00.000-08:00

He hates plain rice cereal. Really, really doesn't like it. I tried mixing it with pureed applesauce. Nope, no good.

But! Pureed ripe banana (about a two inch piece), a few good shakes of rice cereal, an equal amount of already-mixed formula all put into my handy little "chopper" and VOILA! "Yummy" says the baby.

Rain rain go away

2008-01-28T08:59:00.000-08:00

The weather has been horrible lately. More proof that I could NEVER live in Washington. EVER. Year after year, I survive the rainy season because I know that it will eventually END. The kids don't mind too much. They've had at least two trips to the store where I say "New crayons? SURE. You guys both want to get a new Transformer? YOU BET. A new video? ABSO-freakin'-LUTELY. Throw it in the cart, guys. Just throw it in the cart." Anything to keep them from bouncing off the walls at home.

Being stuck indoors, one of the things I love to do is bake. Cookies, breads, anything yummy and good-smelling is nice. But since I'm watching my diet closely these days, I just don't need the temptation.... much to the dismay of my children. They had to settle for hot chocolate - albeit the good kind, made with cocoa powder, milk, and sugar on the stove top. Topped with whipped cream and a few chocolate sprinkles just for fun, they didn't seem to miss the cookies all that much.

Big Al got called out to go work in the mountains at 2AM on Sunday morning. He got home last night at 11pm. 21 hours of double- time. I can't believe that it's even legal for him to do that! The company figures it's okay since the guys get to spend unlimited amounts of money on dinner (imagine a pack of cute, rain-soaked, blue collared guys walking into a white tablecloth restaurant. PRIME RIB ALL AROUND!) and then to sweeten the deal, their paychecks are heavily padded for the time they put in. I don't know. Big Al doesn't seem to mind. If someone (other than my children) called me at 2am and wanted me to get up and go to work, I'd tell them where to stick it. But that's just me. Thankfully, he saw this coming and scheduled a floating holiday for today. He oughta be able to catch up on some sleep and take a break from the crazy hours he's been working. Prince that he is, he just left to take N. to school and he brought R. with him. What a guy. On top of that, he got up with the baby at 5am because I have a terrible cold and he didn't want to wake me up. Like fine wine, he just keeps getting better and better as the years go by.

My goal for today is to start the process of getting back to scrapbooking. I haven't scrapped since WAY before 5-month-old Jack was born! I wish it were as simple as sitting down and starting on a page. But it isn't. I have to first go into my scrap room (which is now fairly clutter free....so I have that going for me) and see where I left off. Then I have to get on the computer, pull up my pictures, and make a spreadsheet (a great tip from my friend Jodie) of all the layouts I have to do. Then I have transfer all of the pictures that I will be needing to one of my picture printing sites. Probably scrapbookpictures.com. Then I order some. Then I wait. Once they get here - I can start scrapping! I should really resist the urge to scrap chronologically. It stresses me out, and forces me to do pages that I'm not in the mood to do. I'm not super anal about anything really (my family might beg to differ on that)....but for some reason I need some order when it comes to scrapbooking. I hate that about myself!

Another thing on my mind....I want to research sewing machines. I LOVE the look of machine stitching on scrapbook layouts. Besides that, I've paid for so many little appliqued and embroidered shirts, bibs, etc. (Etsy.com. my favorite cyber-place.) for Jack that I could have made myself if I knew how to sew. I swoon over beautiful fabrics all the time...thinking of cool things to make. I'm also sick of paying to have N.'s pants hemmed. I mean come on, I'm going to have to do that for YEARS as Jack is built just like him. Might as well learn how to do it myself. Another thing I'd love to do is make adorable girly things that I could sell on Etsy. It would be a great "girly" outlet for me!

So what do you think....have I made my case for buying a sewing machine? Also, any suggestions on what kind to buy?

Out with the old, and in with the new - the dental version

2008-01-24T21:40:00.000-08:00

Check it out! N. has reached that adorable, toothless stage. He's lost a total of 4 teeth now (although the two bottom teeth have already grown back in!) and frankly, it's getting expensive. You know...according to the tooth fairy. Apparently, the teeth that he's lost were his "sweet teeth" because with every tooth he loses....he seems to be a bit less sweet. Grrr.

But that's another post.

And look at the baby! Two adorable little teeth have popped in on the bottom. You guys....seriously. This baby....love love love. I swear I'm going to end up with 10 kids (probably all boys!) because I just can't get enough BABY! Just looking at him makes me want to rush over to where he's sleeping and smell his head.....and nibble on his cheeks.

He's Out of The Will

2008-01-24T18:04:00.000-08:00

N: "Mommy? Are you going to have another baby?"

Me: " I don't think so, why?"

N: (peeks under my shirt) "Well, because your tummy is still kind of....big"

This after losing 16.5 pounds since the first of the year. Great!! Just the encouragement I was looking for!!

Baby's First Bronchiolitis

2008-01-15T23:31:00.000-08:00

My little Jack is sick.
It started with the sniffles on Saturday, and was a full blown hacking cough, red eye'd, 102.8 degree fever by Sunday afternoon. I brought him to see Dr. McDreamy on Monday who was concerned with both the fever, and at how fast it seem to hit him - especially since he didn't "catch" it from any of us. Dr. McD is NOT an antibiotic pusher, which I appreciate. However....he wanted to give him some to be on the safe side, and I was fine with that. We left with instructions to have him sleep sitting up, and to call today if I felt like he had gotten worse. So last night, I slept on the couch downstairs so that Jack could sleep in his bouncy seat right next to me. As of this morning, he was officially "worse." Really grainy breathing....crying....I know...babies cry....but not this one! He fusses, but doesn't out and out *cry* as a general rule. He just seemed really sick to me. He sounded horrible. His breathing, his voice.......and he just wasn't himself.

I called to get Jack back in to McDreamy's today, and wouldn't you know it - he was booked solid. This angered me as I was under the impression that my children were his top priority in life. Anyway, I ended up bringing him to a different pediatrician in the same group. She was nice. Not as Dreamy as McDreamy, but what can you do? We can't have it all people, we can't have it all. She was glad I brought him in as his illness had definitely spread to his chest. She gave him a breathing treatment in the office, and sent us off with a prescription for a nebulizer machine and albuteral. We are to give Jack these 5 minute breathing treatments every 4 hours today, every 6 hours tomorrow, and so on....for the next 5 days or until he gets completely better.

It's scary, you know? This is my third child and seeing him sick like this (you know....something beyond a cold....requiring antibiotics and a breathing machine thing....) scares me to death. I know that he'll be fine. He's a big, healthy boy. But every time he coughs I feel like my heart is being pulled out of my chest.

Better go get my pillow and set up the couch.

My Funniest Kid

2008-01-11T23:13:00.000-08:00

While playing with Jack on the floor.....

Me: "Do you like your new baby?"

R: "I love him Mommy. He's daaaaarling."

While driving.....

R: "Mommy?"

Me: "What Honey"

R: "I *SUPER* need to go to three. AWESOME. places."

Me: "Oh yeah? Where?"

R: "Well - I need to go to Hawaii, and to the Rainforest, and to Chuck E. Cheese. See Mommy? Three AWESOME places that I *SUPER* need to go to. And Mommy - I need to go there TOMORROW."

Me: "I'll get right on that"

Has Anyone Seen this Man?

2008-01-11T10:58:00.000-08:00

Because as you can well imagine, WE HAVEN'T! Ever since last Thursday night when the storm rolled in, he's been working NON-STOP with only 8 hour breaks between shifts. Just enough time for a quick shower and some sleep.

This picture was taken when he stopped in one night because I couldn't get our brand spankin' new generator going. That's it - chained to the tree behind him. Classy, right? Once we heard that the storm was going to be substantial - I sent him to Home Depot to get one. Living where we do - they're wonderful to have. Once the power goes out, you never know how long you'll be in the dark. Could be 24 hours, could be a week. We were lucky - 17 hours.

A gassed up generator gets you about 6 hours of power, with enough plugs to have the coffee pot, the fridge, and the travel DVD player plugged in if necessary. I have found that 6 hours isn't very much. When your kids get up at the crack of darker-than-a-thousand-midnights, you need a good three hours of generator use in the morning. Then you turn off the generator and suck it up all day. Then at 5pm, you turn the generator back on and have a little light for the three hours before the kids go to bed. Then you're done. Well, not really. Theoretically, you can put more gas in it! But I don't do that. Big Al does, but in these situations - he's off saving the world so I'm out of luck. But again - we're lucky to have gotten the power back as quickly as we did. I have some friends who *still* don't have power!

Speaking of luck - we're lucky that a tree didn't fall on our house. Lucky that the precarious hill behind our house (we really need to put in a retaining wall) didn't collapse. That being said - I really hate being without power. See - I let my kids watch TV. There. I said it. Whatever - I'm okay with it. I mean, they don't watch TV CONSTANTLY or anything, but in the morning when things are nuts, and in the late afternoon when I need to get dinner started, and other things done - I let them watch a couple of kids shows. When the power is out, and they can't watch a show or two - they get whiny and bored and annoying. We can't read! We can't play! We can't color! We can't draw! It's too dark! I'm sick of play dough! I hate our yard! Blah! Blah Blah!
Having a house amongst the big trees is wonderful...but on a stormy day, it's really dark in the house without lights on - even in the day time.

Slowly, the residual storm mess is getting cleaned up. Broken power polls are being repaired and replaced. I hope it's all taken care of soon, because I'd really like my husband back now!

Weathering the Storm

2008-01-10T07:41:00.000-08:00

Grandma was telling him a "ghost" story while the power was out over the weekend.

4.5 Months

2008-01-08T21:36:00.000-08:00

Baby Jack is growing so fast!

At his four month check up, he weighed 17 lbs (less than what registered on my home scale) and was just over 29 inches long. 75th percentile for weight, and 90th percentile for height. Like N., he's all torso. As is standard for my babies at 4 months old, two teeth have broken through on the bottom. Little sweetheart that he is, he's taking it like a pro. I have given him grape flavored infant Tylenol a couple of times which he found to be absolutely delicious.

He is so, so, laid back. Smiley. Friendly. Cuddly. A really nice guy I'd say - which is wonderful for me as his brothers have been a bit of a challenge lately!

His sleeping is....well....that of a baby I guess. We run around so much during the day, he takes lots of little cat naps in his car seat. Poor thing has such a hard time taking a good nap at home while N. and R are around because they are SO LOUD all the time! It's weird. He'll sleep through the vacuum, the phones ringing, the occasional raising of my voice (read: yelling) at his brothers, but he can't stand to sleep through the rumpus of the big boys who are very boisterous and physical in their play together. Anyway, he'll go down for the night around 8pm and then wake up around 12am, 4am, and 7am for bottles. The 4am wake-up is really just to keep us on our toes, and make sure that we don't get to that *good deep sleep* as he never finishes more than an ounce or so, but INSISTS on having a bottle just the same. I was trying to hold out until the 5 month mark to start giving him cereal, but if a little snack before bed would get him to sleep longer - I'd be fine with that.

I'll start with rice....as the doctor suggests.....but if he thinks it's gross (and really, can you blame him?) I'll go with what the other boys liked: organic baby oat cereal mixed with formula, a little bit of applesauce, and just the tiniest sprinkling of cinnamon. Mmmm. Much better.

I love to hear him laugh. There's really nothing more adorable than the laughter of a little fuzzy headed, slobbering creature with twinkling eyes.(as an aside: his eyes are NOT BLUE! How fun! Something different!) Provided of course, that the creature is a baby. He thinks his brothers are hysterical, and the feeling is mutual now that he has started "speaking" in a series of high pitched raspberries. I have a hard time getting him to smile for the camera though. He's just too interested in the camera itself to laugh at his Mommy, who is inevitably making goofy faces and cooing at him.

So many mothers have wondered, when expecting a new baby, how they will love this baby as much as they love their other children. What can I say? You just do. So, so much. This little guy is wonderful. Everything I could ever dream to have in a baby.

A Very Sugary Weekend...and Christmas!

2007-12-27T12:19:00.000-08:00

So here's what I do. I let the kids make their very own Christmas cookies. I cover the table with a plastic table cloth, give them rolling pins, little cups of flour, the parchment lined baking sheets, and the dough. All the sprinkles that their little hearts desire. No comments from me about the mess. No helping on my part unless they ask for it. They can make as many as they can roll out and decorate. I bake them, they show them to everyone, eat them, whatever - until they are sick of it. Then....later that night......when they go to bed.....I make *my own* cute (although not very sophisticated) Christmas cookies. I don't have that "I should really be letting the kids help me with these" guilt. Okay, well maybe I have just a touch of it, but not enough for it to ruin my fun. They made theirs, I made mine, gave some away, enjoyed some ourselves, everyone was happy.

Christmas snuck up on me this year. All of a sudden it was here, and we hadn't done the gingerbread house yet! So on the morning of Christmas Eve, that's what we did. I helped out a little, but the kids did most of it themselves. I think it turned out pretty cute.

We decided as a group (our little clan: us 5 plus my Mom and my sister) that we were going to have a low key Christmas this year. Thanksgiving had been quite the "to do", and we didn't want the stress of the cooking the big fancy meals. We had plans to go to the 7pm family service at church on Christmas Eve, but I got a late start on my spaghetti sauce, we ate dinner at 6:15pm, and it just didn't happen. I of course, feel like crap about that....but what's done is done. Anyway, we had spaghetti on Christmas Eve, which was thrilling for the boys who love my spaghetti. For Christmas dinner, my sister cooked a wonderful authentic Mexican feast. It was so good, and so nice for me to be out of the kitchen for once.

As a holiday must....there was lots of champagne! YAY for champagne! This time last year, I couldn't have any as I had just found out that we were expecting a baby. It was nice to indulge this year! When I look at this sweet, gorgeous, strapping 4 month old baby, I can't believe that one year ago - he was basically a collection of cells. Women. We are so awesome, aren't we? Making humans in our bodies. Totally amazing.

The kids were SO excited on Christmas Eve as they got ready for bed. We left cookies and milk out for Santa, as well as some carrots for the reindeer. N. also wrote a note to Santa, requesting that he leave his stocking in his bedroom. This way, if he woke up at the crack of dawn - he'd have something to do while waiting for his meanie parents to get up, make coffee, etc. He ended up talking us out of bed at 5:30 - 30 minutes earlier than my 6am requirement.

Christmas morning was super exciting for the kids, as we (Big Al and I) don't let them see wrapped presents from us until Christmas morning. The only presents that are under our tree before Christmas are from relatives who have sent them to us in the mail.

This year we had my Mom and sister come over right when the kids got up (also in their jammies...because it was 5:30 in the morning) and we opened all of the presents at once. Santa's, ours, grandma's, auntie's, everyone's. Just one more perk of having my Mom right around the corner! It was a lot of fun. As always, my children were spoiled rotten and have been loving every minute of it. Every year, I'm surprised at what the favorites are. I always think...."Look at that. *That* lame thing is his favorite toy. Why didn't I just get that? I could have saved hundreds of dollars on all of this other crap I bought!" One of my lovely Christmas presents from my cutie-patootie husband was one that didn't have to be wrapped - a 3 hour nap after we were done with our big Christmas breakfast. Awesome.

Anyway, Christmas was great this year. And I'm glad that it's over!

(This pic of R. is entitled "Twas the Night before Christmas...........")

In other, less festive news.....

Yesterday morning, while trying to haul a very smart-mouthed R. up the stairs for a time out, I threw my back out. It's absolutely killing me. Advil is barely cutting it....but little by very, very, little - it seems to be getting better. See what 50 pounds of bratty almost-4-year-old can do? I'm getting old and beginning to break. Thankfully, my Mom is off work this week, and has taken the big boys off my hands yet again. Thank God for that woman. I truly don't know what I'd do without her.

He's Dressed as one of the Wisemen.....

2007-12-24T21:17:00.000-08:00

Wise-ass is more like it! Can you spot my kid in his adorable preschool Christmas pageant? Here's a hint: He's sitting on the floor with a green robe and a yellow crown. Also - he's making a silly face.
R. is such a funny kid. He's *that* kid, you know? The one who makes the funny faces for the photo op, the one who throws his arms up at the end of the performance and says in his loudest, most theatrical voice "Thank you, thank you VERY MUCH" and then takes several bows as everyone claps. As if he was the only one in the show, and ALL of these friends, parents, grandparents, etc. are there to see HIM. He's my hardest kid by a long shot. He's tireless. And fearless. His behavior can be maddening, but also he's clever and hysterical, and even loving. I admire his spunk.

Holiday Cuteness

2007-12-23T00:49:00.001-08:00

Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?

In case I haven't mentioned it, I'm totally in love with this little honey of a baby. So sweet is this little boy. So, so, sweet. I mean - look what he puts up with: a pair of Christmas themed "baby legs," and a reindeer hat from the dollar store. And he is still smiling. It's because the perfectly adorable appliqued onesie (etsy!) balances out the ridiculousness of the rest of his get-up. Still, I appreciate his tolerance. If he can continue to humor his pain-in-the-ass mother for the next....oh....30 years or so - he can secure his place as my favorite son.

A Promise is a Promise

2007-12-20T23:07:00.000-08:00

I promised him a potty party.

He's had the whole pee-pee thing down for a good while now. Never even wets the bed. But poo-poo? Not so much. It isn't that he hasn't been MORE than capable of going in the potty - oh no. He just had to decide to do it. To lose the pull-ups. To grow up a smidge. To hang the white "baby" flag and do it already.

Anyway, we've had a great two weeks. He loves his new undies...yes....more new undies....Spongebob to be specific.....and seems just fine with pooping in the potty now.

Way to go buddy. It's about damn time.

His Big Night

2007-12-20T22:23:00.000-08:00

Last week, my big boy performed at his school's Christmas show with all of his fellow kindergartners. It started at 7pm which was exciting for he and his brother. It isn't very often that the kids eat dinner, get all dressed up, and head out on the town. We were told that the dress was to be "nice, no jeans." Knowing that some of the other boys were going all out, we went ahead and followed suit...."suit"...... get it? I'm so clever.

Anyway, who knew that Mervyns carried little zip-on ties with the Nativity scene on them? How great is that? My boy was so proud of is special attire. So handsome. So excited for his big night. He was so thrilled to be all dressed up, so excited for us to hear his songs, so happy that we were all going to see him.

We arrived at the church where the show was going to be held to find that it was beautifully decorated, and complete with a full PA system, huge Christmas tree's....the whole 9 yards. We found great seats, and R. was very cooperative and enjoyable throughout. ****(I'm playing with what to call the kids on this blog. I don't like BB and LB anymore. Just hang with me until I figure it out.)*** The kindergartners sang their songs, and were absolutely adorable. Although.......as I watched N. onstage, I did notice that he looked tired....or upset.....or something. Oh well - it all went great, and I heard through the grapevine that the Kindergartners were watching Ratatouille while they waited to hit the stage. Fun!

When we gathered N. up after the show, he was definitely upset. I couldn't imagine what had happened to make my boy so sad. He looked absolutely crushed, but wouldn't tell me what happened. I chalked it up to exhaustion since he's almost always asleep by 8:00pm (he gets up at 5am...weird internal clock on this one) and it was now 9:15pm. Once we got in the car, he started sobbing and saying that he was so embarrassed because a kid in his class - SIMON (who is one of his better friends) - said that his shoes were GIRL shoes.

What to do....what to say. Such a struggle. My heart was breaking for my boy for whom this was humiliating and very real....as silly as it seems.

Do I tell N. that Simon is a little a-hole? That Simon's Mom is *very* weird (sorry...she is) Do I give him a laundry list of names to call this five year old little punk who had the audacity to make fun of my sweet and wonderful and......yeah, I'll say it - WONDERFULLY DRESSED little boy?

Or.....

Do I assure him that his shoes were most definitely bought in the boys shoe department. That Simon was just being silly. That I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt his feelings. Again...that he looks great, sang great, looks as manly and masculine as a five year old can look. Yes...Simon is still his friend.

I went with the latter.

Oh, and I also told him that he could kick him really hard the next time he saw him. No, no, no. I didn't tell him that. Would never tell him that. But I was thinking it.

A Tree of Their Own

2007-12-15T23:15:00.000-08:00

Because the boys have....uh...."different" taste in ornaments than I do, we let them have their own small tree. It isn't that I don't love huge, garish, orange snowflake ornaments.....or cheapo plastic icicles....because....ummm, you know....who doesn't? These are "beautiful (rite-aid) treasures" that deserve their own tree. By themselves. Alone.

Anyway, here's my Middle boy enjoying a rare moment with his tree. With his big brother sleeping, he was able to have his way with the ornaments. Being almost 4 years old, he likes to take the ornaments off the tree and carry them around the house in various receptacles. Gallon size Ziploc bags.....old lunch boxes.....train cases.....his Daddy's hat....and then when he's ready, he'll go and re-decorate the tree. This drives his older brother absolutely MAD. See, being almost 6 years old, he likes to carefully hang each ornament in just the right place...stepping back to make sure that every spot is covered and that the best ornaments are in the front. As you can imagine...these differing tree-decorating philosophies tend to cause "holiday conflict."

Conflict aside though, the kids are having a great time getting ready for Christmas. Starting on Thursday of next week, the big boys will be out of school for an ETERNITY: two weeks plus a couple of days I think. I'm armed with a couple of new Christmas videos and plans for lots of cookie making, and Christmas craft.....crafting. I even went to the dollar store to stock up on vinyl table cloths in anticipation of the mess! BRING IT boys. I'm ready for you. Let the holiday fun begin.

Baby's First Christmas Stocking

2007-12-15T19:32:00.000-08:00

With every new baby comes a new Christmas stocking. In keeping with my current theme/obsession, I wanted a very sweet owl-y/wintery stocking for my little guy. When I couldn't find one anywhere (imagine that), I had to take matters into my own hands.

I bought the new, already (name) embroidered, velvet Pottery Barn stocking off of ebay, and then commissioned the wool needle felted owls and hats from a lovely etsy crafter. My only contribution was adding buttons to the hats, and holly berries, and whip-stitching the whole thing together. I'm not very good at hand stitching, but it was the least I could do. I'm happy with it! I'm sure I'll have to get Jack a more boyish stocking down the road, but I like this for now. I am however, hatching a plan that involves a tiny brush and fabric paint......his name would look so much better in red or green.

It's hard to believe that where there was once two.....then three....then four.....there are now FIVE stockings!

Long time no type to

2007-12-13T15:12:00.000-08:00

It's been a while! How the heck are ya? Here is a random selection of pictures to catch us up a bit.

My wonderful little baby. This child is so perfectly delightful and sweet and easy and cuddly. Above his changing table is a Haba butterfly mobile. We call these little friends, "the bugs." As I'm bringing him up the stairs, I'll say "Lets go see the bugs!" and his chubby little legs start to kick. He LOVES the bugs. LOVES them.

Here are Jack's idiot brothers (I kid, I kid.) This is the kind of thing they do all.day.long. Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum. Never a dull moment with these two!

My grandparents came down to visit with us and meet their new great grandson! It was so nice to see them. They came bearing gifts, and were therefore very popular.

Can you believe that my almost 4 month old baby weighs 18 pounds already? Par for the course!

I'm obviously partial, but I think that he is the most wonderful little baby I've ever known. Sweet as pie...and such a cozy guy! He loves to cuddle and nuzzle...so warm and toasty. So smiley. sigh. I'm in love.

Thanksgiving part 2

2007-12-01T07:49:00.000-08:00

This year, Big Al's grandpa and his loopy girlfriend came for Thanksgiving from Arizona. We all love Grandpa. He's a super nice guy and is a lot of fun to be with. The boys were excited to hang out with him - especially because he brought them a new RC truck to play with! Now. The loopy girlfriend. We'll call her LG. And Kell? If you're reading this? Remember LG from Tahoe? What a nightmare. The entire family has a hard time understanding what Grandpa sees in her, but what can you do?

Here were some of her finer moments:

~ Ate mashed potatoes right out of the serving bowl - with the serving spoon - while still sitting down to dinner on Thanksgiving. This sent Big Al into a TOTAL tailspin. He's a big 'ol tough guy, but he REALLY has a thing about germs and the sharing of utensils.

~ While talking about Food Network shows, she looked right at me and commented on what a "big girl" Rachel Ray is. Yeah. Well, obviously - I would love to be only as "big" as Rachel Ray.

~ "HOW CAN WE HAVE THANKSGIVING WITHOUT SWEET POTATOES?!?!?" Well, I'll tell you LG. I hate them. Kids hate them. Big AL hates them. My mom hates them. My sister hates them. We ALLLLLL hate them. SO........NO SWEET POTATOES.

~ Drank lots of red wine. LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS. Thank goodness I had stocked up beforehand. Ask me if she brought any over. Just ask. Uh, no.

~ "I just can't imagine ever bottle feeding a baby. I nursed mine until they were 3 years old. They (now grown and married) REMEMBER nursing." Um, excuse me while I puke. And thanks for the nazi-lactivist comment. Whatever. My kids are big, healthy and gorgeous, all thanks to Enfamil. So, uh - kiss my ass.

No, I didn't say that - but I was thinking it.

And the grand finale -

They stayed in a nearby hotel, and we had to pay for it.

TA-DA!!!!!!

Thanksgiving - part 1

2007-11-25T21:39:00.001-08:00

Don't you hate it when you wait too long to post and then you forget the details, feel overwhelmed and don't know where to start? I know I do!

As with most holidays, I made some cute treats for the kids to bring to their respective holiday feasts. Donut hole "acorns" for the preschooler, and adorable (if I do say so myself) turkey cupcakes for the kindergartner. Thanks to Family Fun Magazine for both of these ideas! They were both big hits at the schools, especially the gobblers. And yes, those turkeys (uh - 35 of them) took FOREVER to do!! But hey....I'm all about the cute.

I really wanted to volunteer to help out at my Big Boy's Thanksgiving Feast, but wasn't sure how his teacher would feel about my bringing my entourage along. My sidekicks. My little appendages. My other two children. She said that it would be fine, and even sent home an Indian (I know, SO not a PC term) vest for LB to decorate and wear to the festivities. So, so, so nice of her. Everyone had a fantastic time. All of the children were in full pilgrim/indian gear and there were little stations set up in preparation of the big feast. There were tee-pees set up in the courtyard, the kids got to collect carrots and cranberries from the "pilgrim garden", and then wash them in the "rushing river." After that, they brought their goodies to me, where we made cranberry sauce in my electric skillet. Lots of sugar....lots and lots of sugar! There were six groups/rounds of kids - so that stuff really cooked down! They also got to harvest corn (popcorn machine), make necklaces, and go out to the field and hunt buffalo (see the picture of the poor creature) with construction paper bows and arrows. You can imagine how thrilled all of the little boys were. It was really, really fun. And guess who that darling little girl is with my son? Yup - little Angelina. What a cutie. And a nice little girl too!

Family Pictures

2007-11-19T23:29:00.000-08:00

We recently had some family pictures taken by a local photographer whom I met at Tae Kwon Do over the summer. Our boys were in class together. After seeing her website and all of her beautiful pictures, I'd figure we'd go for it! We've never had our pictures taken professionally as a family, and personally....I'm not into Sears and the like. I mean for kids - sure. But it takes a serious professional to make me look presentable! Anyway, Pascale was absolutely wonderful with the boys, and they (for once) were so cooperative and great. Here is a sampling - I'll have more to show once I get the CD in my hands! They may be little hellions (the big ones)....but they're cute hellions.....and they are the very best of friends. I just love that.

my sweetheart boy.......

these three....how lucky am I?

gorgeous.....

my sunshine.

Pirates!

2007-11-07T10:57:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from Halloween - finally!

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T12:12:00.000-07:00

The big day has arrived! The toothbrushes of children everywhere are crying. Speaking of sugary Halloween goodness, here is my one food-related nod to the holiday. Pumpkin cupcakes made with my new Nordicware mini bundt muffin pan! We (yes - "we", I actually let my oldest help.....you know.....in the name of memory making.....good parenting.....bonding....letting go of some creative control, etc.) had fun making them and delivering them to LB's school yesterday. Believe it or not, I didn't get it together in time to carve pumpkins with the boys this year. I know....someone call CPS. It's all good though, because as is often the case - Grandma saved the day. With her help, the boys carved some really cute pumpkins which are decorating the yard as I....type. Check out the awesome skull pumpkin my Mom carved!

And last but not least, here are some pictures of my own personal JACK-o-lantern. Cute, right?

We'll be taking three little pirates out to trick or treat tonight. Big Al and I encourage (read: force) them to paint the town because....well.....we really like those little Snickers bars.

Have a safe and fun Halloween!

A direct quote from my 5 year old son

2007-10-30T14:15:00.000-07:00

From the backseat, on the way home from Kindergarten.....

"So, Angelina is totally my girlfriend. She has really long hair, and she's a nice girl, and I always sit next to her at group time. "

God help me.

This little Monkey went to the Doctor

2007-10-29T12:59:00.001-07:00

Well, it's confirmed. According to the doctor, he's the most gorgeous baby on the planet. Okay, maybe not according to the doctor.....just to me.

Anyway, at 9 weeks old, he weights 13 lbs. and is 25 inches long. 75% for weight, and 90% for height. Hmmm....only in this family do we worry when one of our babies is *only* in the 75th percentile for weight! My boys are always OFF the charts! What's going on!! Anyway, he's doing great. My little sunshine. Or monkey....my little monkey. Costume #1 of 3. Stay tuned.

"When raising young children, the days are long but the years are short"

2007-10-27T23:59:00.000-07:00

I'm really sleep deprived. And so, I'm not as pleasant or patient as I should be with my big boys. They have been pretty difficult lately....the usual stuff.....not listening.....running amok.....being boys with a capital "B". Active, rambunctious, impulsive, boys. Crazy, wrestling, knocking-things-over, boys. "Let's see what happens if we step on a half empty juice box on the kitchen floor" boys. You know the kind. The boyish kind. The kind that take pleasure in putting every pillow and cushion that they can find into a pile at the bottom of the stairs, so that they can climb 7 (!) steps up - and then jump. And jump. And jump. Over and over and over until someone gets a bloody something or other. This is what I get for daring to take a shower.

Have no fear....the baby is never left alone with these creatures....these creatures that he will one day mimic. Creatures who LOVE potty language and use it as often as possible. Creatures who pee in the yard when I'm not looking and then crack up about it as they run around in front of God and everyone with their pants around their ankles. You know the kind....the kind who stash chewed up bubble gum in their underwear drawers, collect things like rocks and old keys and then forget to take them out of their cargo pants pockets before throwing them into the washer. The kind who draw pictures of rainbows and rocket ships....the kind who hug and kiss their Mommy and tell her that they love her....even when she was a really crappy Mommy that day. The kind who "read" each other stories, kiss each other goodnight unprompted, and are an excellent example of what friendship and brotherhood is supposed to look like. The kind who will give up their swing at the park if they notice that someone is waiting....the kind who will forgive their brother for just about anything.

Yes, my baby will undoubtedly be a whole lot like these two creatures....his big brothers....my funny little boys that live here with him. I guess I can live with that.

Pumpkin Patch Pictures! Lots of them!

2007-10-22T07:34:00.000-07:00

My two oldest are the best of friends. I LOVE that for them.....but they get away with murder because they're so rascally and cute. I weep for the teenage years.

Boys, boys, boys. Handsome devils - all four of them. I've heard other Mom's of three talk about how hard it is to get a good picture of all three. I get it now!

Would you believe this was the best of 10? Check out the look on Jack's face....it's like he senses that his crazy Mommy has no less than three Halloween costumes for him.

Grab a spoon.....

2007-10-19T23:26:00.000-07:00

........so that you can join me in EATING HIM UP!

I was going through some pictures the other day, and this little guy looks so much like BB when he was his age - it's CRAZY!

Fuzzy Smile Shot!

And the award for creepiest looking yet highly effective baby product goes to..........

2007-10-17T10:35:00.003-07:00

NOSEFRIDA!!!!

Seriously, this thing is incredible. I've always hated bulb syringes. They don't work well enough to really provide any comfort, and there isn't anything more pathetic and sad than a baby/toddler who doesn't know how to blow their nose! Can you imagine not being able to blow your nose while dealing with a really bad cold? Torture!

Despite how the picture looks, there isn't anything yucky about it! Even I don't love my kids enough to suck their boogers into my mouth.

Anyway, I read about this product (http://www.nosefrida.com/) somewhere and decided to check it out. The baby hates the syringe and it doesn't work anyway. So...I bought one of these strange looking contraptions and oh my gosh - what a difference. It's amazing. Just this morning I sucked a good teaspoon of yuck out of Jack's nose. He doesn't mind it at all, and he doesn't get all pissy like he did with the bulb. As a matter of fact, he looked pleasantly relieved! I've been using this thing for about a week and it's awesome.

Anyway, happy booger sucking.

'SNOT' a whole lot to tell....

2007-10-15T20:02:00.000-07:00

Get it?

I have a bad cold. So do all three of my boys. Even the baby, who has been to see "Dr. McDreamy" (um...our pediatrician) three times in the last two weeks because we're keeping an eye on a low grade fever and some fluid in his ear. Poor baby....only seven weeks old. Luckily, he's very good natured and he seems to be doing okay. He's gorgeous and wonderful and sweet and beautiful and perfect. Absolutely perfect. I mean, he spits up a lot....but other than that I wouldn' t change a thing.

Speaking of spitting-up, this kid has the wardrobe of a rock star, but sadly - it's usually covered up with a bib. Granted - I also have some adorable and stylish bibs (although not in this picture) but still - it isn't quite the same as the bib-free look. Regardless, I have to use them. If I didn't use bibs, I'd be changing his clothes 10 times a day instead of 2 or 3 times a day as I do now. Luckily for us, the spitting-up isn't a medical problem - it's a laundry problem. He's just about 12 pounds already, and is two inches longer - so we're doing okay with feeding. Did I mention that I'm completely in love with him? *sigh* So sad how they grow up and start treating you like the doormat and slave that you are. And when I say "you", I mean ME. And that brings me to this next little morsel:

We were all set to go to a birthday party on Saturday. A party that we were all looking forward to. It was for a little girl who went to preschool with BB for two years, and now goes to the same school for kindergarten. Her mom is really nice, the girl is a doll, and frankly - I had a lot of fun buying her present. I really love buying birthday presents for little girls!

Anyway, the boys were in rare form all morning. I mean *bad*. One thing after another - name calling, back talk, not listening, throwing things in the family room which has always been a NO but is a HUGE NO now that the baby is almost always in there either swinging, sleeping in his little bassinet or sitting in his bouncy seat. We warned and warned and warned them that if they didn't knock it off there would be hell to pay. LB had already been sent to his room three times and it was only 11AM. Then came the capper.......

BB and LB were eating a cheese stick. LB finished his and wanted another one. I told him that we were leaving soon, and that if he wanted something else to eat, it had to be some baby carrots or grapes. No more cheese. LB sneaks over and takes BB's last bite of cheese stick when he isn't looking and pops it into his mouth. BB loses his shit completely, and kicks LB hard in the shin, sending him to the floor. "Please God, don't let him choke on that cheese" I think to myself. Mental note: take a refresher course in CPR.

So......I go through the whole necessary song and dance.

To LB: "Why did you do that? It isn't okay to take things that aren't yours."

To BB: "He shouldn't have taken your cheese, but it's never okay to kick him like that. "

Crying, snot flying, screaming, all around.

BB then makes some particularly smart ass remark, and I tell him to get upstairs to his room for 5 minutes until he can calm down and apologize to me and his brother who now has a welt on his leg. He picks up the gnarled piece of cheese that LB spit out once he hit the ground, and THROWS IT AT ME.

Aaaaaaaaaand - game over.

Needless to say, we did NOT go to the party. OVER MY DEAD BODY were they getting rewarded with a birthday party. I felt a little bad for LB. This was less his fault than BB's - but oh well. The crappy thing is, after a couple of hours they couldn't have cared less. They have fun with each other. It's not like I can separate them or anything....you know...because we live in a tree house. Those of you who have been here (very few actual doors in this house) know exactly what I'm talking about!

Funny to have such a crappy day with BB, only to have his kindergarten teacher pull me aside on Monday to tell me what an absolute joy he is to have in class. So polite. So sweet. So helpful. Gets along with everyone.

Well good. At least he has inherited my ability to fake it in public.

The more I look at the picture of the big boys, the more I realize what a bad job I did with BB's hair today. Geez, so Rico Suave....what was I thinking? And check out the look on LB's face! Priceless. Such a charmer, that one. He has that nasty look on his face because I forced him to stand there for a picture. The nerve....

Oh Ugg....must you tempt me so??

2007-10-07T08:36:00.000-07:00

COME TO MAMA.

Turn that frown upside down

2007-10-05T20:10:00.000-07:00

Poor little guy......

It's a good thing he doesn't have a date tonight, because he is SO broken out!

This baby is just moments away from giving me an actual smile. When he's alert and "interacting" with me (kicking, waving his arms, breathing excitedly) I can see his eyes smiling! The real thing is just around the corner.....I have to say that his pictures don't do him justice. He is just so beautiful.

Do you like the shirt? Yes. yes, yes. *I* bought it for him, and I realize that maybe it's sort of presumptuous. The thing is, I know for certain that he loves his Mommy. Know how I know? Because shortly after this photo was taken, he spit-up DIRECTLY into my mouth as I leaned in to kiss his zitty little cheek. And if that isn't love...well....I don't know what is.

A Good Day

2007-10-05T17:00:00.000-07:00

Over the summer, I met a really cool Mom at swimming lessons. We seemed to click right away and chatted about our kids and also about highlights, lipstick, photography (we have the same camera!), and other girly things that we have yet to surrender since becoming Mommies. She has 3 boys who are all approximately the same ages as my boys with her youngest being 4 months old. We exchanged phone numbers and made plans to get together once my baby was born and things settled down.
Before we had a chance to get together - we ran into each other at one of our weekly soccer games. Her oldest plays too.

Anyway, this morning we met up at the park with my youngest two (BB at school) and all three of her boys - her oldest goes to kindergarten in the afternoon. We all had such a nice time! We chatted, drank coffee, and coo'd at each other's babies while the older kids played. The best part was that LB managed to behave himself as he often does when he's away from his big brother.

It was a pretty basic outing, but it was just what I needed - to get out of the house, be social, get out of my head, and just enjoy my kids. I held the baby while pushing LB on the swing, called out encouraging words while he made his way across the monkey bars yelling "Mommy! Watch me! Watch me!" all the way across. I really loved it. It made me realize that I don't do this enough. Somewhere along the line I put Big Al in charge of the fun stuff. He takes them to the park, I cook their food. He plays with them outside, I wash their clothes. He takes them to the coffee shop for hot chocolate, while I change the sheets on their beds. It's my own fault. I think that at some point I wanted a break from playing....and now maybe.....just maybe....I want back in.

Parenting: Not my best event.

2007-10-02T22:32:00.000-07:00

Here's the thing. I'm exhausted. And just.....disgusted with their behavior. The older two that is. Well, who are we kidding - mostly the middle child. The oldest will still listen to me for the most part, and if nothing else he knows the fine art of "If I kiss up to Mommy and do what I'm told, she'll be nice to me and I'll be in the clear. I think I'm going to separate myself from my brother so that I have a snow cone's chance in hell of getting a cookie out of the bakery bin when we go to the grocery store later."

However....the older one.....formerly known as the "good one".....has taken to being a real smart ass when he doesn't get his way. And not in a clever, funny way that I would have full appreciation for.

STEP IT UP PRIVATE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL - STEP IT UP. I'm paying you make my children nice. Do your job.

The baby is wonderful.....sweet......adorable......the sun and the moon and the stars. I'm going to enjoy these traits in him now....while he doesn't speak. Or call me names. Or tell me to shut up.

What has happened is, the older two have basically taken over the house. Yes - A hostile take-over. We tell them to do something....or not do something.....they don't do it.......or they do exactly what it is we have told them not to do. We tell them over and over and over and over. They don't listen. They are in their own little weird brother world. They have taken to speaking this weird language with each other. It's super creepy and kind of funny all at the same time. Anyway.....it's exhausting. We threaten.....they don't care. We've even stepped it up a bit and have dabbled in some Super nanny stuff. Our problem is...well, we suck. We aren't good at this. We're good at GOOD KIDS. Bad, mouthy, bratty, nasty kids? Not so much.

I suppose there's a bit of laziness here on our part. Sure there is. But I haven't gotten more than 4 hours of sleep a night for the last 5 weeks, so basically - I don't give a crap what they do as long as it isn't where I can see it! Marshmallows for breakfast? Is that what you can reach and put into a bowl yourself? Knock yourself out. I don't care. Bringing your battery operated remote control car into the bathtub? Sure. I don't care. He kicked you? I'm not looking - do what you have to do, just don't leave a mark.

The thing is.....I do care. Very much. But between the exhaustion, the mild case of "baby blues", the overwhelming amount of projects that need to be done around this ENTIRELY TOO SMALL AND THEREFORE INCREASINGLY CLUTTERED house, the lack of help from Big Al because of his work schedule - I just feel stuck. And also a little trapped.

Anyway.....the boys. They bicker and fight and kick each other....and also play loudly and roughly and throw soccer balls in the living room and have races with their cars off of my coffee table.....and I'm just so tired of yelling. Really. I am SO. SICK. of yelling at them. It makes me feel like we're all on the Jerry Springer show: "WHITE TRASH FAMILIES HAVE IT OUT - TODAAAAAAAY ON THE JERRY SPRINGER SHOW!!!!"

Every time the boys start fighting, I give serious consideration to locking them outside and letting them duke it out like men because I just don't want to deal with it!

Another frustrating aspect to all of this is that when I do threaten, give a warning, and then ultimately carry out some sort of punishment for the middle kid - the oldest one goes through the roof. He wants to rescue his brother from their horrible, mean, monstrous mother. It just gives me one.more.thing to handle.

I'm sure that this sudden change in their behavior has at least a little to do with the new baby. The oldest is jealous of all the attention the baby is getting, and the middle probably feels more than a little displaced. Lucky for me (and for the baby) both boys seem to really love him. Especially the middle one - he really, really loves the baby and is super sweet to him. Good....I guess that means his soul hasn't been completely overtaken by the devil. So I've got that going for me.

Haven't scrapped in months....feel pretty sure that I'll never find time again. And that makes me more sad than I can even explain. And really, there have been opportunities to scrap....but my mind is so cluttered with crap, I won't dare try to be creative. My pages are only as good as my outlook on life....so....yeah. Not going to attempt it right now.

Holidays are coming. If I run really fast, maybe I can escape them. I wish.

Usually I love this time of year. I'm the first one to get all of my darling Halloween stuff out and decorate the house.....start lighting pumpkin and apple scented candles....but this year.......I just have no urge. I don't think I'm even going to put the stuff out this year. I just don't care enough to go through it....get it down....put it out.

Something is definitely wrong with me.

Meet Miles

2007-10-02T22:20:00.000-07:00

No, no, no. This puppy doesn't live at our house! He lives at Grandma's house. Thank God. He is undeniably cute and also very, very sweet. The boys adore him and really, who wouldn't? My whole thing is.....I'm waiting for "them" to come out with dogs who don't eliminate. Once there is a dog on the market who is poop and pee-pee free, I'm SO in. Wrap one up, I'll take it.

Beauty and the Beast

2007-09-24T07:27:00.000-07:00

Oddly, the dinosaur "beast" is painted on the nicer of these two boys. Oh stop it, I'm their mother - I can say that. And it's true! The cute little three-year-old with the monarch on his face is definitely the more beastly of the two. I adore him, but YIKES - what a monster he's been lately. I just keep telling myself - FOUR IS COMING, FOUR IS COMING.....because in this house, three is far more terrible than two.

He's a good boy though......for the most part. At least he behaved himself yesterday at the birthday party we went to. Besides the super talented face painter, there was also a jump house, hot dogs, and a beautiful cake! We had lots of fun and it was a great opportunity to see some friends that we hadn't seen in a while, and for them to meet the baby.

SCHOOL, LIFE, ETC. - An Update.

2007-09-22T20:50:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to write an actual blog post for a while now - so we'll see if I can manage to remember everything that I've been meaning to write about! Please forgive uh - everything. Spelling, grammar, sentence structure - everything. I'm going on a less-than-ideal amount of sleep (not that I'm complaining! He's totally worth it!), and whatever coffee is left in my system. I'm at about four cups per day at this point.......well, four 12 to 16 ounce "cups."

Kindergarten is going really well. I'm very happy with our decision to send BB to this particular Christian school. The staff is very warm, loving, and helpful which is really fantastic. BB is a "late bird" which means that his school day goes from 10am-1:30pm. I pack him a lunch everyday in his (yes, I too jumped onto this particular bandwagon!) personalized Lands End lunch box. The exception is "pizza day" when he likes to get the hot lunch. I just send him with a snack for recess time on those days. Apparently, almost his whole class gets hot lunch on pizza day which is fun. Anyway, there are 12 kids in the Early Bird class, and 11 kids in the Late Bird class. They overlap for an hour or so everyday. They have their teacher plus an aide everyday. The really cool part, is that they have free on site (like......30 paces from the classroom) "daycare" (that word makes me cringe, but that's what they call it) from 8am until 1:30pm. The daycare room is where the kids are dropped off in the morning. We sign them in, and then the daycare lady (who BB loves almost as much as his teacher!) walks the late birds to class. We pick them up in the same manner - the teacher walks them over to the daycare room, signs them in, and then we sign them out. It's nice to know that I could in theory bring BB to school as early as 8am if I wanted to! He really likes the free time to play outside and/or inside with his school friends in a less structured manner, so I usually drop him off at 9:30am.

I was really impressed with our Kindergarten teacher at Back to School night. Right off the bat, she gave us her home phone number and told us to always feel free to call her with questions and concerns. So basically - "She had me at Hello." The room is really warm and comfortable - a science center, a math center, art center, etc. I like that there aren't desks or tables that the children sit in for the day. Rather, there are tables at the centers, or "stations" and the kids move from once center to the other - coming together for circle time. Sort of like preschool, but with more academic basics - reading, math, etc. They use the "Zoo-Phonics" reading program, and BB is doing really well with it. They children have PE on Tuesdays, Music on Thursdays, a special Art program on Fridays, and Chapel on Wednesdays. The kids only have homework once a week, and it is usually an "engaging" activity. Something that we have to do with BB which is actually really great. It gives me a reason to sit down with him, just the two of us, and do something fun together. I try to do that anyway.....but you know, it isn't all that easy. Especially now! I really love this school. I was concerned that perhaps it wasn't going to be academic enough ("academic" - another word that makes me cringe) but they didn't get the National Blue Ribbon Award of Excellence for nothing, right? So I have faith. It's great to be able to drop him off and feel really good about where he is.

LB has only been to preschool twice, and so far he seems to be doing fine. I asked one of the teachers if he was being nicer to them than he was to us and she said "Oh yeah, he's been great - they don't pull stuff here - they suck it up." We both had a good laugh....she has witnessed some of LB's finer moments over the last two years, so she knows what she is in for. LB is as wonderful as he is maddening. Sure he has a temper and is stubborn as hell, but he also has a great sense of humor, is very enthusiastic, and will run up with hugs at the ready. Totally different than his big brother who mostly keeps the peace, but isn't all that friendly or outgoing until he really knows someone.

I have a feeling I'm really going to enjoy Tuesdays and Thursdays. From about 10am until 1pm, I'll only have the baby. So....totally....wonderful. I'm looking forward to not only doing errands that are easier without the big boys in tow, but to just laying on the floor with my baby and playing with him! Little honey baby...I'm so excited to be able to have him all to myself without the big boys pulling me away. And lets be honest. Maybe I can put him in the bouncy seat and scrap! Or read a magazine! Or watch The View! Lovely.

As I eluded to in an earlier paragraph, LB has been an absolute nightmare. Mouthy as all get out (don't know where he gets it) and just BAD in general. The great thing though, is that he LOVES the baby. He is super sweet with him. Kisses him, is really gentle with him, always asks about him, smiles at him.....so that's great. Don't get me wrong, I don't trust him any further than I can throw him - but he doesn't seem to be jealous of the baby. BB is really sweet and protective over the baby as well, but isn't as interested as LB is. "He's sort of boring Mommy..." Over the last few days, the baby has been more alert for longer periods of time, and since then - BB has begun to show more interest which is nice.

The baby will be 4 weeks old tomorrow, and has gained just about a pound since birth. He's been to our pediatrician about 3 times already, because I've been paranoid about jaundice. It's mostly gone - his chest and extremities are clear - but his face remains just a tad yellow. It's gotten much better than it was when he was about a week old, but it worries me a little that it isn't completely resolved. Our Dr. swears that he isn't concerned, and I love and trust our doctor - so I'm just going with it at this point.

In completely unrelated news, we're doing an upgrade on our kitchen, and all of our new stainless appliances were delivered and installed today. We're officially done with BISQUE. YES! We already ordered our new counter top, now we just have to have it installed...which won't be for two weeks after the measure.....which is scheduled for two weeks from now. We had grand plans to knock out a wall, get new cabinets, etc. but we decided that we were just going to do an "upgrade" rather than a remodel since this isn't THE house. This is our starter house....so anything we do is basically for someone else. It's going to be a lot better than it is now and I'll certainly enjoy it while we're here - but no bells or whistles.

Speaking of enjoying it, I've never before been excited about an appliance, but when I saw this double oven, 5 burner range at the Home Depot show room - I just knew I had to have it. I cooked dinner on it tonight, and it's as fabulous as I thought it would be. It's going to be great for the holidays....that's for sure. Damn turkeys.....a necessary evil.

If you love something, set it free.

2007-09-21T07:12:00.000-07:00

Remember these guys? While I was in the hospital (almost 4 weeks ago) they were outside with the boys on one of their big adventures. When it was time to put them back into their tank, it seemed that they had taken off - you know - because hermit crabs are so speedy. The kids searched and searched and just couldn't find them. Big Al had all kinds of ideas about them plunging over the deck to their deaths, our Cat Sam tricking them into following him into a dark alley.......Anyway, when I got home I was informed that they were effectively GONE. What a bummer. No one was heartbroken or anything, but I was a little bummed because I had actually managed to NOT KILL these pets for months, and that's really saying something. Really...you should see what I can do to a fern. Anyway, yesterday the boys were out in the yard when I heard BB: "No WAY!! MOMMY!" Guess what? "Gary" is back. And he's just fine!! Luckily we still have his humble little home....now if we can just find "Cool Swimmer............"

First Day of Preschool!

2007-09-20T11:33:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was my little boys first day of preschool. I think I'm still going to call him that for now! Anyway, it went great. He's been visiting this school for two years while his big brother was there, so this was more than exciting for him. "REALLY???? IT'S MY SCHOOL NOW?!?!? ALL RIGHT!!!!!" He was so ready. I sort of planned on staying with him for a little bit before it was time to get BB to school by 10am, but I really didn't need to! He gave me a kiss, found his cubby, had his buddy Mrs. Filey put his name tag on, and he went on his way! So my big boy, my baby, and I made our way back to the car.....and BB commented that it was quieter already! After making the trek across town to drop BB off at kindergarten, I got back into the car....with just the baby.....and about cried. It was equal parts strange and GREAT! I've never dropped LB off anywhere other than Grandma's. It felt strange, but I know that he's in a great place and it's only for 3 hours 2X/week after all! Anyway, I enjoyed the quiet. And LB had a great day at school.

(funny that there is a "closed" sign on the side yard gate behind LB! I can't believe I didn't notice that when I took the picture! argh....)

Giving a Hoot

2007-09-19T21:46:00.000-07:00

Can you find the baby?

Here's my little guy, taking time out for a picture with a few of his little friends. A special "shout out" to Gymboree for having this bib. It's just too perfect. While I'm thanking Gymboree.....let me also send them a "$pecial" hello from my husband who hate$ them with every fiber of hi$ being.

"Seriously?? Are you really going to keep taking pictures of me and all of these owls? Can't you see I'm tired and I have a goopy eye that isn't going to medicate itself? I mean really Mommy....lets be reasonable."

Are we all in agreement that he looks exactly like BB/Big Al? Check out the "widows peak" hairline! Cute!

Such a sweetheart....this boy.

Head over Heels..........

2007-09-12T20:25:00.000-07:00

.........in love with this baby!

A couple of pictures from this afternoon.

Short but Sweet

2007-09-11T22:21:00.000-07:00

Our new baby.....a very sleepy little newborn. He has gained 6 ounces since his one week check-up and is doing all the little things a newborn is supposed to do. He is sweet and easy and soft and he smells like angels.

GOAL!

2007-09-09T08:08:00.000-07:00

Three of them actually! Yesterday was my Big Boy's first league soccer game. Watching him play was so much fun, and I was really impressed with how great the kids were in general. They really seemed to know what they were doing! Some of them (not mine obviously) were so small that they were just swimming in their uniforms - so cute. Anyway, my big soccer star scored 3 goals for his team. I was so proud of him and even better - he was so proud of himself. His team - The Lightning Bolts won the game 7-3. I'm glad that we all had so much fun at the game being that we will be going to them every Saturday until Thanksgiving.

Here he is just after his third goal.

First Day of Kindergarten!

2007-09-04T14:42:00.000-07:00

What a day. All five of us were at school bright and early for Big Boy's first day. New backpack? Check. New outfit? Check. New shoes? Check. The parking situation was a nightmare - making me really thankful for the fact that starting tomorrow, we don't have to be there until 10am as oppossed to 8:45am when the whole entire school arrives. At first it was all excitement and smiles, but once I gave him a hug and a kiss and told him we'd be back in a few hours, he started to tear up.....and then so did I. To make matters worse - LB was absolutely falling apart at the thought of being separated from his brother. "NO!!! (sobbing) I MISS BB!! I MISS BB!! What will I DO?!?! GO GET HIM!!!! WHERE IS HE?!?!?!?" Anyway, I did my best to keep it together....it was more than traumatic for me to leave my big-on-the-outside, little-on-the-inside gentle boy there while there were tears streaming down his face. I have to give him credit though....as he went inside, clearly fighting back the tears, he sat down with some other little boys and began to play with blocks. What a strong boy. When we picked him up, he seemed happy and said that he had made a new friend. When I asked him whether he was going to be ready to come back to kindergarten tomorrow he said "Oh, sure I can!"

Consoling his brother---------->

<-------Trying to be strong for his Mommy...note the red eyes.

Anyway, overall I'd say it was successful. Now *I* just have to get used to the fact that he has somewhere he needs to be every single day!

7 Days Later

2007-09-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

Our new little guy is a week old today! So far, he's a really sweet, easy little baby. He's on a pretty steady schedule - he sleeps for two to three hours, gets his diaper changed, has a bottle, and then repeats the whole process. We love it when he's awake and looking around - wide eyed and making "o's" with his tiny little lips. He's mildly jaundiced, but nothing to worry about. It hasn't gone any "lower" than his neck, and it's getting lighter each day.

(**I should mention that these pictures were taken without the flash - sort of a so/so result. Sometimes flash pictures just look so plastic. I'm experimenting with my newest subject!)

This baby is the most gorgeous, wonderful, sweet- smelling, cuddly, adorable little baby in the world (said his mother). We are so totally in love with him - even Little Boy! He likes to hold his bottle for him and kiss him on the head while very gently rubbing his tummy. He's constantly checking on him to make sure he's okay. He's of course really curious about his belly button "owie." I'm really surprised at how well he's adjusted to having a baby in the house. The fact that the baby (so far) isn't a screamer helps of course. Big boy has been wonderful too, but that sort of goes without saying.

You know....the thing about babies (for me anyway) is that they make you want to have 15 more! I've already caught myself thinking....hmmm #1 and #2 are SO CLOSE. #3 seems SO much younger than them. He won't have anyone to play with! Maybe we'll wait a year and I'll talk Big Al into just.one.more......maybe *another* little brother! I know. Have me committed. I get so worked up about the surgery, and the discomfort of the latter parts of pregnancy, but then once it all works out - all I can see are the totally wonderful parts of the whole process. The total miracle of it all.

Having Big Al home has been great. I do all the nighttime feedings, but once the clock strikes 5AM - I'm off the hook for awhile. I've been able to sleep as late as I need to in the morning (usually until about 8:30 or 9) which is WONDERFUL. I'm weeping in advance for when he goes back to work - only because of the sleep part of it. Every time I get up with the baby, it takes about an hour to go through all the motions - diaper, bottle, burp, rock to sleep, etc. He'll sleep for an hour or two if I'm lucky, and then it's time to do it all over again. Anyway, the 4 solid hours of sleep I get in the morning are priceless. Starting next week, we'll have Kindergarten drop off every day, and two weeks after that - preschool drop off twice a week. Mornings will be hectic. Thank God for coffee. LOTS and LOTS of coffee.

So that's the update! Things are going well. When I look at my big boys (all 3 of them) playing in the yard, laughing, running, chasing, holding hands....and my little baby slipping me unintentional smiles in his sleep - I feel so completely blessed....like the luckiest woman in the world. Life is good.

The Coolest Grandma in the World

2007-09-02T10:09:00.000-07:00

It has been SO incredibly hot this last week. As a special treat, my Mom surprised the boys with an 18-foot-tall water slide parked in our front yard. She rented it for the day, and the boys made sure that she got her money's worth! They climbed and slid and splashed and swam for about 4 hours - only stopping for a piece of pizza. The man who dropped it off and set it up asked what time the party was to start....uh...."no party - just two spoiled little boys" we told him. Anyway, it was a fun way to spend the last Saturday before Kindergarten starts on Tuesday! Last Friday was Kindergarten orientation. Talk about information overload, I haven't even had time to sit down and really process it all! Anyway, that's another post.

Stay tuned for a baby post.......

Here's a preview - he's PERFECT!

He's Here!

2007-08-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

All 9lbs, 4 oz, 21 inches of him! He's a beautiful baby boy, and we couldn't be more thrilled. Hard to tell what color his eyes will be, although I think I see an undertone of brown! That could very well be wishful thinking though. The funny thing is that on the day he was born, his hair looked very strawberry blonde, but today all the little hairs on his perfect grapefruit shaped head are distinctly brown! We'll just have to see. He's so adorable and velvety soft....I could just kiss his wonderful little head all day. That baby smell is just the best. A little piece of heaven is this boy. He came out looking like a funny, wrinkled up little man, but within a day or two - his little face sort of settled into itself and he's just gorgeous. What a sweetheart....we're completely smitten! Here's a family picture - I feel so lucky to have these wonderful boys - all 4 of them. I'll be sending/emailing out a group of pictures (with pics of the baby!) soon.

Soon We'll be Five......

2007-08-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

Still feeling uneasy about the whole thing, but taking comfort in not really having any sort of choice in this matter. He can't just stay where he is, and if I were to go into labor - it's already been determined that my bone structure (funnel shaped pelvic bone - thanks Mom!) is absolutely incapable of "birthin' a baby" without said baby being seriously brain damaged if delivered at all. So. Having no choice is working for me here!

The good news is, I just finished spot cleaning the entire downstairs carpet.

God willing, by this time tomorrow I'll be holding my beautiful new baby and enjoying the pleasant calm of vicodin.

I know that many of my readers aren't religiously inclined - but heck.
Pray for me and little Jack anyway, okay?

Self Preservation

2007-08-24T23:14:00.000-07:00

"Well, this is just freakin' perfect."

"What?"

"I just got online to check my email, and I'm hit with this headline on AOL: 'More US Mothers Dying in Childbirth' and.......uh-huh........oh of course. They say that it's due in part to overweight women having c-sections. Great. Well, just FYI - I'd like to be cremated. And don't marry anyone who isn't old enough to vote. Also, her name can't be Misty, Missy, or Crystal. And also you have to wait at least a year to re-marry and don't forget to brush their teeth, and comb their hair before school. I hate it when kids have bedhead at school. And you have to get them braces because it's important. And for godsake, don't EVER leave them with your parents......."

"Oh stop it, you'll be fine. Get off there. I hate that damn computer.....what timing......."

(see...he knows that within 15 minutes, I'll be crying and shaking in a corner.....a mess that he has to clean up.....not his best event)

15 minutes later.

Crying. Scared. Saying things like "If it comes down to it, and it's either me or the baby - SAVE ME. DO YOU HEAR ME???? SAVE ME!!!!
I adore this baby, but honestly - it isn't him that I'm worried about!

Granted - this isn't the year 1812, nor are we on "ER.".

My rational mind (what's left of it) gets that more than likely - I'll be just fine. BUT......my hormonal, emotionally charged, and lets face it: death-related-issue-having self just RUNS with stuff like this.

I hate surgery.....I'm worried about blood clots.....blood loss......I'm just scared.....and I'm pissed off that I had to read that headline....and then.....as human nature dictates.....the whole entire article. Now the joy and excitement have been replaced (at least for tonight) with fear and making deals with God.

Shit.

Dear Baby Jack,

2007-08-23T05:13:00.000-07:00

I stood there, test in hand during the early morning hours of Christmas, with a decision to make. I knew that this could very well be a mistake - taking the test on Christmas. Being disappointed - again - on Christmas. But I had a feeling...I just sort of new that you were there......and I wanted to be sure.

"Merry Christmas!" I said to your Daddy, handing him the test stick. As he leaned on the counter, waiting for his coffee to perk, a slow smile spread across his face as he considered the two faint, but definitely there pink lines....and a Merry Christmas it was.

As I write this, eight months have gone by. Summer is slowly moving out, and Fall is quickly approaching.

As the months have gone by, we've been waiting and preparing for your arrival. We've decorated a room just for you, picked out adorable little things - designed to make you comfortable and to enhance your inevitable cuteness, and listened as your name has fluttered about in conversation like a little butterfly.....happy and excitable. "When baby Jack gets here, I'm going to hold him and kiss him!" says your oldest brother. "When baby Jack comes, I'm going to hug him and make him laugh!" says your little-older brother.

Here we are, just a few days from the "Big Day!" that we've been waiting for. Every morning, your oldest brother asks "NOW how many more sleeps, Mommy? How many more sleeps until baby Jack is here?" We all love you so much. Already, we love you so much.

I'm trying to hold onto the memory of your wiggles, your nudges, your kicks....I love them. I think there's a good chance that you're going to complete our family, and I probably won't be housing anymore little babies in my tummy. It's bittersweet....I can't wait to hold you in my arms, and share you with your Daddy and your brothers.... but also I love having you inside. So safe and so only mine.....so I'm trying to remember this time we've had together. Just you and me - your "good morning" roll-arounds, and afternoon tumbles.

Your Daddy has been extra good about making sure that you have everything you need - even before your big arrival. He has taken me out for cheese enchiladas, many more times than necessary because he knows that they're our favorite! He has assembled all of your baby gear without complaint, installed your car seat - making sure that it's perfectly level, and stood back to get a good look at your nursery - making sure that all the little pictures in your room are hung just so.

Your oldest brother passes me in the hall, and sets down his armload of engines long enough to give you a smile, a "pat pat pat", and some commentary on how big you're getting - all on his way to the train station he has created in his race car bedroom.

Late at night when you're little-older brother is sleepy and listening to stories, he lays his head down next to your feet and interrupts even the best of Curious George adventures to peer into my belly button, listen hopefully, and rub my tummy - just wanting to know all that he can about his little brother - this little mystery.

Now, as the last onesies are folded and put into the third-time-around baby dresser, the bottles are washed and lined up on their own shelf in the cabinet, and the diapers are stacked, I feel so lucky to have you - my littlest son. My little caboose. My little bundle of baby. I can't wait to meet you! I'll be the one who is crying (tears of joy of course) right along with you.

xox
Love,
Mommy

Five Years

2007-08-17T20:46:00.000-07:00

Two sappy, carefully picked, Hallmark cards - complete with hand written sentiment : $8

A lovely dinner for two, over looking the Pacific on a warm summer evening : $92

Making a VERY pregnant woman feel beautiful and loved by giving her .50 carat platinum set diamond earrings : PRICELESS

Tweet Tweet, Buzz Buzz

2007-08-13T19:31:00.000-07:00

Big Boy:
"So Mommy.....how did baby Jack get in there anyway?"
(with his hand on my tummy)

Me:
"Well......
When a Mommy and a Daddy love each other very much, they might decide to make a family...."
(inner monologue: oh shit oh shit oh shit) "and.....uh.....Mommies have special eggs inside their bodies.....and when the Daddy adds his....um.....well......(hell), it's called "sperm"....to the Mommy's egg......a baby is made in the Mommy's tummy!" (inner monologue: ok, not bad.....with any luck, he won't ask.....at least not today.....about how the sperm gets there).

Big Boy:
Takes a moment to think.....blink his eyes a few times......
"Well, how old do I have to be before I can make some eggs?"
Little Boy:
"Hey! I want some eggs too!"
Big Boy:
"You can't do anything with eggs because you're only three years old!"
Little Boy:
"Yes I can! Mommy! BB said I can't have any eggs!"

Me:
My work here is done.

Little Boy Soup

2007-08-12T16:49:00.000-07:00

I could have included these pictures in the last post, but I hate adding pictures after writing. To save myself the frustration - I figured I'd just do a picture post here.

Last night as Big Al was supervising bath time and I was scrapping (heaven) I heard:

"Hey Honey, come and see this - and bring your camera"

Funny boys. The big one has clearly outgrown bathing with his brother (size wise) but hates showers......so we've got some dirty days ahead.

Headaches, Chocolate and School Clothes.

2007-08-12T16:16:00.000-07:00

So this morning I had a headache so fierce, so pounding, so awful - that I cried my eyes out and scared my family out of the house for two full hours.

Note to self - that worked out pretty well, all things considered.

Big Al took the boys and their bikes to the park, telling me to turn off the phone and lay down on their way out the door. Ay-ay Captain. I woke up an hour later feeling better, thank goodness. Ugh. I for one, don't know why Tylenol is even on the market since it works about as well as say strapping a banana peel onto my forehead. I had a moment of being irritated at my little Jack....it was his fault that I couldn't take 3 advil which would have fixed me right up.

This is the final stretch. "Stretch......" Yeah. No kidding.

My Mom has saved me this weekend by taking the boys for about 4 hours of both days. Hallelujah. Big Al has one more week of work and then will be off for 3 glorious sort-of-helpful weeks. I say "sort-of" because as great as he's been about helping me, I still have to be very specific. He doesn't see the pile of breakfast dishes in the sink unless I point them out and ask him....ever so sweetly.....to put them in the dishwasher for me. He will step over the gigantic pile of dirty laundry that the boys have left in the hallway....not thinking...."Hey, it's easier for me to bend over and pick these up and deposit them into the laundry room than it is for her at this point. I've got this covered." No....I have to ask for help....and mostly that's okay I guess. I've learned that with most men you have to ask for what you want or else you'll just live a very bitter existence with them! They are absolutely incapable of reading between the lines and reading our minds. The sooner we figure this out and be truly okay with putting it all out there and asking for what we need, the better. Anyway, here's another example of his sweetness/cluelessness: I got up this morning with Little Boy around 7:30am to find Big Boy dressed. Sort of strange since the boys usually eat breakfast around 8am - still in their jammies. Big Al had taken him to Starbucks for hot chocolate while LB and I were sleeping. My early risers often do this on the weekend. So what's the problem, you may ask? The problem is that BB was wearing school clothes. NEW school clothes. Like....tags had to be removed in order for him to wear them.......school clothes.

SIGH.

Really? As you were pulling the tags off of the clothes....clothes that came from a drawer full of other clothes, also bearing tags.....it didn't cross your mind that maybe....just maybe......something was off about what you were doing? Luckily, no one died as a result of this horrible mistake - since by some miracle, he didn't get chocolate on this new shirt....and therefore...I didn't have to kill anyone.

2nd Note to self: Put little star stickers on each dresser drawer that Big Al and Grandma can choose from while I'm in the hospital so that I don't come home to a total and complete nightmare.

Yes, I know that I'm a control freak and maybe a tad OCD....but really....you should see their dresser drawers. I should let go of the perfectness that is their folded clothes....you know...so that they can get their own clothes out instead of my picking them out and throwing them on the bed for them to put on. The truth is they show NO INTEREST in picking out their own clothes! It's AWESOME! When I ordered them a couple of Boden shirts a few weeks ago, I let BB come over and point out which ones he liked best....but as far as daily outfit picking, he doesn't care.

Now shoes......shoes are another matter.
He has a TON of feeling and opinion on shoes.
I don't know where he gets it.

No big surprise -

2007-08-09T00:42:00.000-07:00

He's measuring 8 lbs. already!

I....sadly...have hit the 20 lb. weight gain mark. But come on, I'm most likely going to have a 9 + lb. baby....so......still not too bad.....I guess.

Misc.

2007-08-05T21:42:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a hodge podge of topics. I didn't take any pictures this weekend, and we didn't really do anything eventful - unless you count school clothes/shoes shopping while waiting for the oil to be changed in the minivan. I decided to sit down and post - something - anyway. Even if it turns out to be...well.....mind vomit!

Baby/Pregnancy.
We're excited for the baby's arrival - I think I may have mentioned this once or twice already? However, something that disturbs me greatly (and I *know* I've said this many times but I just can't get over the injustice of it all) is the fact that I can't get any decent sleep to save my life right now. It's just.so.wrong. I should be getting the MOST FULFILLING SLEEP EVER considering what's around the corner for me......a newborn and all of his around the clock, newborn needs.
Not only do I find myself waking up constantly, but I wake up in pain. My back. Whatever thigh I'm laying on. The bladder that feels like it's going to bust wide open because of that *tablespoon* of urine that's in there. When I wake up, I have a choice. Sometimes I lug myself out of bed and head down the stairs to the bathroom (yes...charming quality about my home....ONLY ONE BATHROOM that is located DOWNSTAIRS). Other times, I just turn over to the other side....only to wake up an hour or two later with the same aching thigh, back, side, etc.

It's the little things that are getting harder and harder to do. Making dinner. Doing laundry. Visiting that 7th circle of hell that I like to call "the park" with the boys. Grocery shopping.

Small price to pay to get this little baby though! Definitely a small price to pay. I can't wait to kiss those tiny, perfect little hands.

*****************

Potty training update.
LB still won't poop in the potty. Safe to say that the baby's arrival isn't going to help this situation. I just don't know how he's going to react to having a baby around. He talks about him all the time. Maybe he won't get all pissed off, territorial, and regress after all. He lifts up my shirt to kiss baby Jack and tell him that he loves him at least once a day.

***************

Shoes.
We bought the boys their summer sandals in March. BB was a size 1 when we bought the sandals. We had him measured again yesterday before buying his new shoes for school and he's now a 2.5. WOW! Poor kid. No wonder he wakes up with leg/growing pains! His feet have grown a size and a half in 6 months! LB on the other hand was a size 11 in March and is now an 11.5. That seems like a pretty normal growth pattern.

*******************

Defensive in Advance.
Now lets talk about my least favorite subject/debate. Breast V. Bottle. The long and short of it is that I TRIED. TWICE. I DID EVERYTHING. I CAN'T DO IT. If a teaspoon of breast milk every two hours was enough to feed my babies - I'd have it made. Unfortunately, it's not....and on my best day I'd only get an ounce when I tried in the past. This being my third time around, you'd think it wouldn't bother me....I guess it feels different this time because I've decided not to try this time. I mean....why put myself through it? Why spend the money on the hospital pump, teas, vitamins, feeding tube kits, etc. when I know what the end result will be? It seems as though we're inundated with BREAST IS BEST. FORMULA IS HORRIBLE. It's hard for me to buy into the "fact" that bottle fed kids aren't as healthy as breastfed kids since neither of mine have EVER had an ear infection. BB has NEVER been on antibiotics, and LB has only had to take them once during flu season when he had bronchitis or something like it. Yeah, they've had croup a couple of times but overall - totally healthy kids. I wish I could BF if only to save the BUCKETS of money that we spend on formula! I don't know...I live in an ULTRA-CRUNCHY town and I'm sort of anticipating the judgemental looks I'm going to get every time I whip out a bottle rather than a boob. My first battle will be at the hospital when those hideous La Leche Lactivists come by to "visit." A big bonus to not having a c-section is that you can have your baby and then get the hell out of there. When you have a C, you're held hostage for a few days and anyone who wants to come into your room and harass you and/or try to touch your boobs (to "assist" with the latch) can. Obviously, I'll just tell them what we've decided....and hopefully they won't hassle me about it too much. I'll try to nurse the first day or two just for the little bits of colostrum that I'm usually able to provide....but once he looks hungry....usually day two.....I'm going to give him a bottle. I didn't do that with BB. I didn't know what the hell I was doing, I just kept trying to get him to nurse. He tried...it wasn't him, it was me. Little did I know - I didn't have enough milk for him. His jaundice was terrible. He had to stay an extra day under the lights, get blood tests, etc. and then he had lost way too much weight by the time his first appointment came along. I was heartbroken and felt like such an idiot /failure that I hadn't noticed. I tried again with LB, but cautiously. I supplemented with formula while trying to "pump" up my supply...which of course never came. But this time, the jaundice was under control and my baby wasn't hungry.

My next appointment is on Tuesday, and I'm getting another ultrasound. Always fun!

"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all"

2007-08-02T15:04:00.000-07:00

I'm 35 weeks along and feel like death warmed over - but here are some cute pictures! Better to post just pictures than not post at all, right? In case anyone is concerned about BB running into trees or other large objects - I did get his "bangs" trimmed the day after this picture was taken! I didn't want to, but he was begging....so I did it. I love his gorgeous hippie hair.

When it Rains it Pours

2007-07-24T14:05:00.000-07:00

Three posts in one day - how 'bout that.

I just wanted to make note of a few funny conversations I've had with the boys.

LB (third time asking) - "Please Mommy?? Please can I have a sip of your drink?"
Me (it's diet sprite, so I don't want to make a habit of it) - "Oh, alright - but only a little bit"
LB - "NO! I want a BIG bit!"

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BB was watching me make Big Al's sandwich for today's lunch last night and commented that I was really good at making sandwiches.
"I should get a job at Togo's!" I joked.
Shaking his head...."No Mommy....you can't get a job at Togo's because you have too much work to do here." Throws his hands up - "There just isn't enough time in the day!"

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Today in the car, I was telling the little boy that *his* swimming lessons start next week (he's been insanely jealous of the fact that his brother has been swimming and he hasn't.)
BB gets a worried look on his face....."Well, how deep is the pool? What if he chokes on a whole bunch of water? What if the teacher doesn't watch him and he drowns? What if he can't hold his breath?"
I told him that he would be fine in a class with other 3 year olds. The teachers would take care of him, and either Mommy or Daddy would be there watching, and the pool is the same pool that he swims in, etc."

The big boy looks at me like I've completely lost my mind, crosses his arms, lets out a big defeated sigh and says: "I've got reservations about the whole thing Mommy."

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Lastly, the boys are very proud of themselves because they know how to spell POOP. They recite it often. P-O-O-P spells POOP.

Nice.

Completely Powerless

2007-07-24T09:27:00.000-07:00

OH.NO.
If it wasn't bad enough that the new Fall line of Boden (Miniboden.com)has been released and I'm a complete and TOTAL sucker for their kids clothes.....now......they have a baby line too.
I'm dead. My card is trembling in my wallet. Their clothes are just so well made, and so adorable and more than anything else - they're unique. It's no secret that children's fashion is of interest to me, and I just get so sick of NAVY AND RED AND GREEN AND STRIPES AND CARS AND THAT's IT. Boden....Boden is fantastic. I love Boden so much I would marry it.

Gotta go.

(disclaimer: I'm not of of those who doesn't let their kids get dirty, etc. We have drawers full of play clothes that are duly abused on a daily basis!)

A Stellar Day.....All things considered.

2007-07-23T16:59:00.000-07:00

Things to "consider," are that it's been a thousand degrees outside, and I'm as big as an RV.

We went to a new park today (new to us anyway) with some friends and had such a nice time. Going to the park with friends (friends for the boys as well as myself!) is WAY more fun than going it alone. For starters, BB and LB don't feel the need to bring every wheeled object they own if they know that they'll have some of their buddies around to play with. This park really tired them out, as there were five different slides that started at the top of a hill. In order to slide down again, they had to climb up a ton of stairs. Works for me! Run kids, run. Thankfully, LB didn't try to escape beyond the borders of the park and into a nearby neighborhood. BH contractions were in full force, so I basically "parked it" on a bench, chatted with my friend, and enjoyed my Diet Pepsi while the kids played. On one or two occassions, the older kids tried take off but my friend was all over it as she has three kids and wasn't afraid to scream at them across the park (a girl after my own heart).

It has worked out that BB has made friends with kids who have siblings who are almost exactly the same age as LB. All the older kids went to preschool together for two years, and now all the younger ones will be starting preschool together in the Fall. Generations......

I'm always really proud of how nicely my boys play with other kids. Oh, who am I kidding. I'm just super proud of them in general. They may act up for their Dad and I (and they occasionally pound each other), but they're great with other people! Always respectful and kind. I want my boys to be known as "nice" boys, and for the most part - I think they are.

After our trip to the park, we stopped at the ice cream store for a treat. I managed to bring the camera in (like a big dork) for some summer ice cream pictures. I forgot to bring the camera into the park with me and had to make up for it somehow!

CUTE - Exhibits A and B:

When we got home, BOTH boys took a two hour nap. Talk about winning the lottery. As if that weren't enough, my darling husband brought me a gorgeous bouquet of flowers for no reason! When I asked him what the occasion was, he said "Because I love you, and you're beautiful, and you're pregnant! I'd be a jerk not to bring you flowers at least once while we're waiting for Jack." I love that guy. I know I've said this before, but he just keeps getting cuter. Men age like fine wine and women age like cheese.....Is that how the saying goes? Anyway.....I still get butterflies when he smiles at me.....even when he does so while leaving his stinky socks NEXT TO the hamper. What's up with that?!? Anyway, besides being all kinds of handsome - he's just awesome. He's really "grown" into an excellent husband (he's always been pretty great at being a Daddy). When we got married, we had already had BB....and we just sort of jumped in. I don't think either of us knew whether or not we were going to pull this whole "married grown-ups" thing off - but so far we have, and I wouldn't trade him for anything.

Now if I can just get a hold of this terrible c-section fear I'm having! You guys - if anything happens to me, print out the good blog posts and give them to Big Al. He's awesome, but not so awesome that he has bothered to set up a log-in for my blog!