Two Months

Grandma came for a quick visit just in time for S's 2 month birthday. We pulled out the fancy dresses for the occasion, too.

Laughing at being dressed up for no reason at all


Joking with Daddy


Her serious corporate pose


Hanging out with two week old boyfriend, J. She's twice his size, but their heads are about the same.


It was 80 degrees and breezy this morning. Because it's been over 100 for 3 weeks, J said it was cold outside. Here's how he dressed himself for the blustery weather.

We have a doctor's appt. tomorrow, so we'll find out her current stats. I can't wait, but I'm not looking forward to the shots.

Funnies

I know I need to post some new pics, but the camera battery is dead, so that will have to wait. In the meantime, some funnies from J:

"Mommy! S is getting bigger and you're getting smaller! Wow!" (Can you see why I love this kid?)

J brings the boppy over to S and says, "Okay, S. I'm going to feed you now." I ask J if he would like to try to give S a bottle, which has been a gigantic challenge for two weeks (her taking a bottle that is). J says, "No, I'm going to breastfeeding!" I wished him luck in that endeavor. Maybe he is a man of the future.

Yesterday J woke up from his nap early. Correction. He never fell asleep for his nap and I heard him saying, "I think I'm sick. I think I'm sick." So I went in to see what was wrong. He said, "Mommy, I think I am sick in my throat because I have been eating too many donuts." (He had a donut on Sunday). A quick sip of water made it all feel better.

Taking a shower doesn't always happen when you have a newborn in the house. I've been lucky to get one once every other day, which is only because I choose to go to bed later some nights to take one. Yesterday was day two without a shower. Out of nowhere, J says, "Mommy, you're a little stinky. I think you need your hair washed."

That's exactly how I felt too, but I didn't get one until this morning. I plopped S in her bouncy seat after J went to school, showered, and toweled off. Then I noticed S had a major blowout though her cute little outfit and all over the bouncy seat, which is why she was scrunching up her face in a really strange way. And you take a moment to ask yourself, "Should I get dressed first or clean that up?" You really just want to take the two minutes to finish up and think to yourself, "Hey, she's already been sitting in it for a few minutes, what's a few more?" But then you know you just can't do it because it's one thing when you don't realize that it's there, but it's another thing to ignore it when it is. Everyone is clean now. And napping. So that's what I have to do too. Later!

Six Weeks

j playing in the bubble mound at july 4th fiesta



s celebrated by sleeping through the whole thing. no, we are not blanketing her in 100 degree heat. a burp rag must be near at all times while in car seat. it is the evil spit up machine.



laying around and smiling


sporting some red, white, and blue


one of this week's bounties from the garden of weeds. unfortunately i am only looking at them because tomatoes seem to make s pretty fussy.

and no, i am not going all ee cummings on you people. i am typing with one hand as s fell asleep sideways in my sling and my other arm is holding her head.

Four Weeks

10 days old

It's hard to believe but we've now had two kids for four weeks. All of our fabulous help has gone back home and we're all by ourselves now. B is "on vacation" this week, but he's since been to the office twice. I keep telling him that he wouldn't rush back if he were in Vegas, so he should just pretend that he's there instead. Unfortunately the lure of a root canal is just too great for him.

A lot of people have been asking how we're doing, so here's a quick update:

• We're changing at least 10 diapers a day. Apparently swimming around in fluid for 9 months has not made this girl immune to a wet diaper. She gets annoyed by the slightest drop of pee. I guess I can understand that.
• I've been feeling like quite the milk maid given that she likes to eat between 10-12 times a day. At least she's pretty quick about it or else I would feel completely strapped to the couch.
• We've had our first real smiles! It's so awesome to know that she has the ability to smile at something other than gas and poop. She's also started cooing and making some noises other than "Waaaaa". I think she sounds pretty content, so that's good.
  
• No, we're not sleeping through the night, but we are getting some sleep. The days and nights are a little confused, but not too badly. Thankfully, aside from a few crying jags here and there, S doesn't really fuss when she is awake at night. Mostly she'll just stare and say, "Ba" before she drifts off again.
  
• She takes after her brother and hates the car seat, but I think she may be warming up to the swing after she took a nap in there yesterday and this morning.
• She loves being in the sling, which is such a blessing because it means that I can get some things done around the house.
• We are so grateful to everyone that has cooked or sent us meals, and especially to my mom, B's mom, and B's cousin L for taking on the roles of J watcher, dish washer, kitchen cleaner, and baby holder while we got used to the idea of taking care of two little ones. I'm still wondering how it will be (other than exhausting) next week when J is off from school and I am completely on my own, but I know we'll manage.
  

Getting in a little bit of tummy time before heading out her first baseball game

J still likes his sister and enjoys holding her and helping to burp her.

L was a bit nervous holding such a small baby, but she was a pro by the end of the week!

Not sure about the swing...

Just Pictures

Proud big brother

The trauma subsides after 1st bath at home

Grandpa popped down to meet his new granddaughter

Sleeping it off after an eventful afternoon at the photographers-- somebody is a little diva-- waaahhh!

Holding hands

The Newest Addition

As J so often has the best words to describe things, he has announced several times this week that, "Now we are one big happily family of four!"

SAS joined our family unit on May 26th. Labor couldn't have been any different than it had been with J, which took 36 hours and 3 separate trips to the hospital. This one took a total of 7 hours, but have no fear-- it still had its own dramatic moments. I woke up at 6:11 with a lot of pain in my back. This had been happening for a few days, so I didn't pay much attention to it until the sweeping waves of pain made their way to my abdomen. Within an hour they went from 10 minutes apart to 6 minutes apart. I wasn't about to run to the hospital because I didn't want to be there all day or have to be sent home, so I decided to wait and see how things went at my regularly scheduled appointment at 9. With my doctor tucked away on a beach somewhere in Cabo, I wanted to know who might potentially deliver my child. I was also convinced I would be told I was 2 cm and things were moving very slowly. Imagine my surprise when I was told to get to the hospital or else if I had any hopes of an epidural. Apparently I was 4.5 cm. Maybe the extra spicy virgin bloody mary I drank the night before did the trick?

B made me walk to the hospital. Granted, the hospital is right next door to the doctor's office, but it was still a long enough walk to go through two more sets of contractions as I kept screaming to B to get off the phone and walk with me (he had this small excuse called work that he supposedly had to handle before he could deal with me. whatever :). Once we were checked into the hospital, I immediately asked for an epidural and was told it would be on its way as soon as they did my blood work and determined that I was well enough to receive an epidural. I didn't remember any of this from last time. My recollection after 30 hours of labor at home was that I went into the hospital, got on a bed, received a shot, and headed off into la la land for a few hours before delivering. Not so this time. It took close to an hour and a half of waiting for two nurses to figure out all of the buttons on the machines (one was new), one small screaming fit at a doe-eyed husband as he just stared at me in utter confusion as to what to do to help me, and an eventual pinch and screw feeling in my spine before I started to feel better. The nurse told me she would let me rest for about 20 minutes before we got pushing and that she hoped to have the baby delivered by about 1:00. I wondered if this was her lunch break time or if things were actually moving along that quickly. I think itwas a combination of both.

It took about 20 minutes of pushing and a little bit of extra oxygen on me and then we heard the screams we had been waiting for. She weighed in at 7 lbs, 9 oz, 19 inches long. Her hair is blondish, so there is hope for some of my genes in there. Her eyes are dark blue, so I am pretty sure they will change to the dominant dark color of B's family.

Now for you squeamish ones, I told you there was drama, but it might just make you feel all icky, so scroll past the next paragraph and move onto the lovely pictures if you're one of those people right now....

After the oohs and ahhs of childbirth when everyone is relieved that the baby is alive and breathing well, there is the small mess of other things to deliver like the placenta. This usually takes place about 20-30 minutes after birth and I don't even remember it last time. As I said before, this was very different than last time. Here's the gist of what happened. The doctor gave the nurse a look. The nurse gave the doctor the same look back. I looked at B and said, "Okay I know something is up." That's when the doctor said, "Well, it appears your placenta doesn't want to come out and might be attached to your uterus. That's what we call an accreta. Let's see what we can do here." (People, if you know someone giving birth soon and they are on the fence about an epidural, that sentence alone should be enough to convince them that they should err on the side of caution and just get the thing because you never know what might happen afterwards and there certainly aren't any medals given out at the finish line.) The doctor mentioned that if she couldn't detach it that she might have to do a surgical procedure to remove it. Well, I guess the thought of surgery sent my body into uber-patient, do-what-you-have-to-do-mode, and the doctor was able to remove the placenta with the help of a small ultrasound machine and my guidance. Turns out that the spot where it was attached never really got numb from the epidural and I could feel the discomfort and knew exactly where she needed to work. Is that strange, or what? Oh, and I forgot to mention that a placental accreta happens in about 1 in every 2,500 births and usually after a c-section has been performed in the past. I didn't fit that profile at all. Why can't I win the lottery too?

Thank goodness we've had help this time and my mom arrived the night before she was born. J has been a very excited big brother and loves when she makes little involuntary coos. He doesn't seem to mind the crying too much yet, and has been a very good keeper of SAS' toes. Every night he makes sure there are still 10 of them before he goes to sleep. He's taken a lot of pride in "holding her by himself" which is just her resting against him with his arms around her. It's pretty cute.

So here are her first pictures. I have others to add to the mix, but it's time for bed now. We're all
doing well and are just tired. Thanks for all of the well wishes!

Hello World!

I'm so hungry I could eat this blanket

J helps to hold his sister

Grandma was so glad SAS waited until her arrival!

The key to all those arm bands is being allergic to sulfa, being rh negative, getting admitted to the hospital, and having a baby. Everybody needs an id badge. It's one big party!

Waiting

39 weeks down and counting. Well, we've reached the point in the pregnancy where I am officially feeling done and ready. I'm due on Wednesday. If I go into labor next week, my doctor is on vacation. If I don't go into labor next week, I get induced on Monday, June 1. Kind of a dilemma. In a perfect world, I would go into labor late next Sunday night (the 31) and have my doctor deliver on Monday morning. But, this girl is going to come when she wants to, or by the 1st if she doesn't feel like it, so we'll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, I'm swollen and getting tired of wearing flip flops because they are the only shoe that has fit for the past two months. I'm also pretty tired, but not tired enough to be asleep at 5 am. I've just been waking up and staring at the windows and trying to think of something to bake that would motivate me to get up and moving at such an hour. So far, nothing has been calling out to me that much.

Yesterday J and I were at the grocery store. He was disappointed by the lack of samples, so he said, "Mommy, since there are no samples, we need to get some donuts." I didn't even hesitate to tell him he was right and we filled our little bag of sugar. Only one more week, so why stop now, right?

Anyway, just thought I'd let you know we're all just hanging out here waiting. If anyone knows any good baby chants, share them with me, please.

Kind of Missing the Point

Last week, J did a horrible thing at Walgreens. Actually, he did two horrible things. While playing with a large bottle of antibacterial soap while I was paying for something at the register, he headed for the door. Upon realization that the door magically opened by itself, he took the opportunity to perform his first act of shoplifting and bolted outside. I freaked. He laughed. Laughed as I called for him to come back. Laughed as I sprinted after him like a gazelle that was not pregnant (or maybe it was a hippo?). I grabbed a hold of him for a second, but he was too quick for me, for he just dropped his unpaid merchandise and kept on running.

This was no longer humorous, not that it really was to me, but I was seriously worried that he was going to leap out into the parking lot and get hit by a car. Cars were stopping in the parking lot because they saw this crazy boy with his unfit mother sprinting after him. I finally caught him as he rounded the corner of the building. His response? "You're hurting my arm!" I felt like the sterotypical parent, thinking, "I could be hurting more than your arm" and "Just wait until your father hears about this (only the father was on a plane to Florida for a conference)." I retrieved the bottle of soap and quickly placed it back inside the store. What did I see when I did that? About ten people with their eyes fixed on me and their jaws stuck open. I can only imagine what they were thinking.

This little escapade left me unable to walk for the rest of the day. Clearly full-term pregnant ladies are not supposed to test their agility and swiftness at this point in time, and I was paying for using my animal instincts.

The best part? J didn't want to apologize. I let him sit in his room for close to 45 minutes "to think about what he did" while I took a shower and composed myself. He finally got lonely and caved. We talked about how people who take things they don't pay for go to jail. We talked about how he could have been hurt. Then he asked if he could eat lunch. The three year old mind can only process so much.

This isn't the first time I have had to deal with a laughing J running away from me, but it was the first time I had to deal with it in a store. I realized this would be no easier for me when I have a newborn in a sling and I am at the cash register, so I folded. I bought my kid a leash. I can hear all of you gasping. I'll give you a moment...

Now before you all go judgmental on me, I did not opt for one of those harness ones, or even worse, one of those teddy bear or elmo backpacks, although looking back on it, I totally missed an opportunity since my kid is petrified of teddy bears and that would have taught him a lesson pronto. I chose one that attaches to the wrist with super-duper velcro and stretches so that he can still move. What did J say when his dad told him what it was? "Oh goody, I can take Mommy for a walk." Hmmm...

We had to "practice" using our little leash around the house the other day. Then we had to play puppy with it. This was so not the point, but I figured he wouldn't be too keen on using it in public. Not so! I had to make a trip inside the post office today and I brought it along with me. I asked J if he could behave without it. He told me, "I want to use it. I want you to walk me." In fact, he practically had a tantrum because I was considering not using it. Honestly, I don't want the stares any more than the next mom, but I was stuck.

Off we went into the post office. My little puppy and I waited in line. Apparently I am not allowed to put the leash on my wrist as directed because that is "doing it wrong." We almost had a melt down about that. All in all, it kept him close and happy at the same time. Who knew?

J refused to take it off as we left the store. I had to walk him to the car. And just like a puppy, he stopped every so often so I would have to pull him. Once again, the three year old found a way to beat the parent. Who knows what could come next.

Probably a Fluke, but...

J was watching Super Why while I was taking a shower. Wonder Red was using -at words to try to fit the story. The first was cat. Then she said, "Let's change the first letter." And J said, "Bat!" before the tv kids answered. I was pretty surprised. So I did what every reading teacher/mother does in times like these-- I quizzed my child.

I wrote down cat on a piece of paper and asked him what it said. He told me. Next I wrote down bat. No problem. Fat. Hat. Sat. Pat. Mat. The last one took a few seconds.

How cool is that?

J's Thoughts

"Did you know that a chrysalis is sometimes called a pupa? That's a funny word. Pupa." Okay, I think we can upgrade the second grade science curriculum in schools if my kid is learning about it in his 3 year old class.

"I hope we practice our letter M today. Worksheets are the best." Oh no! Say it isn't so!

"Heh, heh, heh. The baby will be swaddled. Swaddled, swaddled, swaddled. That's so funny. A swaddle is like a baby enchilada wrapped up like a burrito."

"If I am a good boy, I can have an icicle pop. Maybe even two. If I am not a good boy...sigh, I can forget about it."

"Fire ants are mean. They bit that boy. I will stay away from the fire ants and if they come near me, I will say, 'Get out of here fire ants and go bite something else because you are not nice.'"

"Why does Daddy have another meeting? I'm all meetinged out." Me, too!

I had to ask J to repeat this one because I had to write it all down.
"Bubbles and toots make something out of air. They are the same because they come out of your bottom. I'm tooting right now and that's what I did. I made some air. It's called a toot. Did you know that?"

I'll Tell You if You Have the Swine Flu!

I promised you pictures. B is away in Florida at his annual endo conference. I'll just say that J and I have had an interesting few days. Stories to follow at some point when I am still not fuming from them. Yes, there is now more than one story.


Ready for the patient


Heartbeat sounds good, Mom!


J talks to his sister-- your one and only bare belly shot on this blog.




J and R in similar Easter duds




My bunny cake. I totally understand why Mom always put coconut on the Easter lamb cake! What you can't see are the little black and brown jelly beans in the grass at the back of the bunny. B begged me to put them there. It's the little things that make him happy.



My friends threw me a delightful little shower a few weeks ago. D knitted this adorable burp cloth, sweater, and cupcake hat. I can't wait to use all of them!



Everyone contributed to a "words to live by" tree that will hang in the girl's room.



I asked K to paint some dragonflies in the bedroom, but she painted me some fantastic ones on canvas instead. They are perfect. If you look in between the crib slats, you can see the chair rail and purple paint we chose. I'll take a picture when everything is up and organized in the room.

Big Improvements

We've reached the 5th sticker on the poop chart. J took the big leap and did this one at school. My excitement is 100 times greater than words on this blog can express. Only 5 more to go until the Spaghetti Factory makes its way into our house. I guess I should buy one.

J had an egg hunt at school today. As he was helping me fill the eggs with treats yesterday, I could sense that he was going to have some major problems with giving up his eggs. I had to reassure him that everyone in his class was going to give up their eggs and that in the end, he would end up with just as many as he brought to school. He still needed help giving them to his teacher this morning, but he was thrilled with what he brought home.

The Springsteen concert on Sunday was amazing! He played 28 songs in 3 hours and never took a single break. His energy is amazing. I was disappointed that I was winded after singing about 3 songs. I forgot that my diaphragm is being squished by a baby. Oh well, it saved my voice.

1 week later update

Since I never finished that part of the post, there is more to say. J has been in underwear (DRY underwear, I might add) for a week now. He earned his spaghetti factory on Easter, which made Easter a completely underwhelming event for him, but that's fine. He took a look at his basket, read his books, found his eggs, and then he was done with it. But he spent over an hour making pasta on that little playdough machine.

I thought we would need to set up a new chart immediately after the old one was filled in, but there hasn't been a need. He tells us when he has to go and then gets excited that he's done his business. The funniest part is that he announces about ten times that he "needs his privacy" when he has to poop. Even if you shut the door, he has to remind you that it's his privacy.

We had a lovely Easter brunch with the gang on Sunday. It turned out to be a gorgeous day and all of the rain dried up just in time for cascarones smashing and egg hunting.

Oh and I almost forgot to mention that we got a new car! This has been in the works for forever. We ended up with a Toyota Highlander (unfortunately we didn't have the extra 15 grand for the hybrid model). Now before you enviro-conscious people yell at me for putting another SUV on the road, let me offer our reasoning, and yes, I understand there are some holes in it, but nobody's perfect. We started seriously looking at Mazda 5s. They are considered mini-minivans. We almost bought one, but B had serious concerns about it not having traction control or stability control. That's pretty funny if you consider that he had been driving a 1998 Honda Civic with power/computerized NOTHING. The dealbreaker ended up being that the multiple times we ended up going to the various Mazda places, the dealers couldn't seem to fess up and be honest about the fact that their car was lacking something. We heard things like, "Oh, the upper model has traction control" and "our breaking system is just as good as stability control." None of that is true. I understand the sales pitch thing, but I don't understand flat out lying. Does traction control matter since we live in Texas and not in snow country? Well, my car has it and I've notice it kick in on several occasions after we've had rain and the roads are oily and wet.

Move on to the Forester. Really nice ride, comfy for me, lots more space, but it was lacking the 3rd row (and that was something that was important to me because we have so many people visit us that the thought of taking two cars everywhere because car seats fill up the back seat is just annoying.) B didn't find the passenger seat very comfortable in the Forester. Even though he would most likely drive whenever we were together and not be in the passenger seat, he decided we should pass on this one as well. What a picky guy.

Next stop, Toyotaland. I've liked Highlanders for a long time, but we always figured it would be our next car after this one-- our minivan of sorts without ever getting a minivan. I kept whispering "hybrid, hybrid" into my husband's ear, but he just didn't have the hearing aid turned up high enough. In the end we did the math and figured out that it would take close to 10 years to recoup the extra cost through gas savings on a hybrid even if gas went up to $4 a gallon again. Then factor in that you can't get a simple hybrid model with a 3rd row (they have to be completely tricked out). Then factor in that my husband called every dealership within 200 miles to get the best deal on a regular 2008 model, which had significant incentives on it. We ended up with one that was 125 miles away, black with leather seats, a third row, and a nine speaker subwoofer blue tooth dealio. Honestly I don't even know what that means. Point being that we got a whole lot in this car for a lot less than a 2009 and for just slightly more than what a Mazda or a Subaru would have cost us. That's what you can do when you buy a car that nobody in farm country would ever want because it's not a truck. Maybe at some point we can trade it in for a hybrid, but for now, we're just going to hope to keep it to at least 300,000 miles.

B painted the baby room and hung up some decorative chair rails. We are getting a new dresser for J this weekend (c/o my favorite store-- craigslist) and moving his dresser into the girl's room. Hopefully things will get much more organized quickly. How does J feel about giving up his furniture? He's pretty psyched about it actually because he thinks the new stuff was made just for him.

I have strong concerns that this baby is sideways. I have a dr.'s appointment on Monday and am going to ask for an ultrasound so I know whether I need to do some crazy position things like stand on my head or shine flashlights all over my belly to get this girl to turn. A sideways baby, also known as being in the transverse position can pose more problems during a natural labor than a breech baby. It most likely ends up in a scheduled c-section if there is no turning because the umbilical cord has a chance of coming out first and essentially cutting off your child's blood/oxygen supply. No bueno, no thank you. Now, I've read that a lot of transverse babies just turn at the very last minute, but I'd love it if all of you could whisper to my kid to get her head down in the right position so that things can be a lot easier for all of us. Thanks in advance for that!

Next post, pictures! I promise!

Slow Goings

I know there are a few of you who aren't on facebook and are probably wondering what in the world has happened to me. I have neglected you. My J tales have been minimal. I apologize.

I just woke up from a 2.5 hour nap and J is still sleeping, which is great because B has a meeting tonight until about 9, so I'm flying solo tonight. It's been an understatement that I've been tired in the evenings. I'm pretty much tired all of the time. I've been trying to get into the frame of mind that in two months I will probably never get to nap again, or at least, not for a very long time, so I've been trying to make rest a priority over projects. I've been successful about 5 out of 7 days a week. Unfortunately there are some days when I sleep way too long in the daytime and then I am an insomniac at night.

J has been playing the under the shirt game where he tries to fit his head under my shirt and I am supposed to look down at him. It works most of the time, but one day I was wearing a shirt with a higher neckline and he couldn't see me. He declared that his sister was getting fat and that wasn't nice of her. I thought it was sweet that he didn't say I was getting fat. If he keeps up that courtesy, he'll go far with the ladies someday. He also likes putting on his doctor coat from feathernester and wearing a mask and gloves from dad (unused) and checking the baby's heartbeat with his toy stethescope. He's gone to a few doctor's appointments with me and he's really enjoyed watching the doctor use the doppler.

Despite the fact that I expect major regression soon, we're still plugging along with potty training. Ugh. My mother always says that I was horrible and never had any interest, so it seems that J has inherited this quality from me (that and the fact that he's a boy). We've had a few bright moments where he has gone #2 in the potty, but this has only been followed by going in his underwear and even on the floor. I set up a chart with a few rewards that he is really interested in and all I had been hearing for the last few days was, "Maybe another day." Do you know how hard it is to be patient when a kid tells you that? Is he waiting for Christmas to roll around? Perhaps his 7th birthday? Doesn't he know they aren't going to make the Play Dough Spaghetti Factory forever?

I guess the pooping on the floor incident bothered him enough that finally this afternoon he told me he had to poop (only two little drops on the floor. sorry if that grosses you out, but be prepared if you are going to train a child!) and completed the deed where he was supposed to! I was thrilled, he was thrilled, we put stickers on his chart. Let's see if we can do it again later.

We had a lovely visit a few weeks ago with the feathernesters and ouisers on our first trip out to TN. Feathernesters were kind enough to help a preggo out and give up their bedroom for our visit. I also took home my weight in baby girl clothes, which was so much fun. I think dressing a girl is going to take some getting used to. With a boy you just slap on a t shirt and some jeans and you're done. I imagine wanting to do the same for the girl, but everyone tells me you just can't. We'll see. I foresee the biggest problem being shoes, so I hope the husband is prepared for the fact that she will have more than J does in that department.

In an effort to make things fair for both siblings in as many ways as possible, my dad is coming in for the weekend and we're going to the Springsteen concert on Sunday. J also attended one of his shows in utero and I think that is one of the reasons he is so muscially inclined. Who knows if she will love it or hate it. Either way, I am very excited.

So I think that's all there is to report for now. We're trying to get things ready, but it's happening very slowly. Snails pace slowly, people. One of us thinks we have two months while the other thinks everything needed to be finished yesterday. Does anyone want to bet on who's who in that debate? I know, it's probably pretty obvious.

I'll try to post some cute pics of J sometime soon, but remember that my naps come before picture downloads for now.

Gender Roles

"Mommy, I'm going upstairs to play with Daddy. You stay downstairs and do the dishes. Or some other kitchen job. That's what you're supposed to do."

Lucky me!

You Know You Need To Get Out When...

Your son asks you this serious question,

"Mommy, do you like farts?" (accompanied by fart)

I guess we'd run out of things to talk about.

Fuzzy Logic

With the rite of passage of turning three comes a newfound sense of logic. Everything makes sense to J. If only they made sense to us.

J: Ohhhh, let me see that pizza. It looks like it has cheese. I don't like cheese.
Me: What kind of pizza do you like?
J:Plain
Me: This is plain pizza.
J: Well I don't like plain pizza.
(After the pizza is hot and cut)
Can I have another piece of pizza, please?


J: Don't worry, Mommy. Your pants are dirty, but they will dry in the washing machine.

There's a line in a Barenaked Ladies song that goes like this, "But I don't like salmon. It looks really appetizing. Of course if I were to eat salmon, it would be the wild caught salmon."

J: But I don't like orzo. It looks appetizing. Of course if I were to eat orzo it would have to be the wild caught orzo. (put said orzo into mouth)

J: Mommy, if you pee a lot in the potty, all the time, your headache will go away.
(I think to myself that my headache is not due to the fact that I won't use the potty-- he will pee anytime, but #2 is totally a different story)

J: Did you know that sometimes babies float?
I tried really hard to make a connection to this, but it was just an out there thought with no further explanation. I will be sure to keep him away from the tub with his little sister for awhile.

And then there's his favorite one, which I hear at least 10 times a day...
J: There are two babies in your belly!
L: No, there's only one.
J: There are two. One. two. Because I say there are. It's pretty funny. I can see them.

I bet he can.

Birthday Mayhem

Not really, but to a three year old, it may have been. J had a super awesome birthday. The fun went on for days. And the gifts just keep on coming, much to his surprise. Probably best to tell the story in pictures...

It was a loosely themed Biscuit Brothers/musical farm party, so K,C and Z gave J a Biscuit Brothers outfit. So cool...



We got a phone call during the party that a friend's baby boy was born. We won't forget his birthday!



Newborn twins made an appearance and didn't mind any of the noise at all.



I made J a tractor cake. It would have been a lot easier if he wanted chocolate cake, but he wanted a yellow cake, so it took forever to decorate. I was really happy with it, though. And he talked about it for days, so that was a pretty good compliment.


The kiddos decorated electric guitars, but they had a little trouble getting the band together for a good photo.


We gave J a train table and a piano. I know I have said it before, but I. Love. Craigslist.


Uncle M made the trip down from Baltimore for the big day. I think the party was a good form of birth control for him.
Other cool gifts.


After the birthday extravaganza, J and I went back to Florida with my mom. Beach, parks, golf, Butterfly World. Getting spoiled by all the other grandmas in the neighborhood. Here he is feeding some Lorikeets and practicing his putting with Grandpa.




Well I better post this instead of trying to think of more interesting things to say. I'm just trying to get you guys used to the absence come May and there is no writing at all.

Entering the Kingdom of Threedom

The third birthday will be upon us tomorrow, followed by a party on Saturday. I see lots of cake eating in our future because there will be cupcakes at school, most likely followed by extra cupcake eating at home, and a tractor cake on Saturday. I'll try to get some veggies in there somehow. I'm hoping that turning three makes J happy, unlike last year when he woke up angry at the world for turning two.

How would I wrap up the year of two?

• with a big sigh and a nap. It's been a whirlwind of a year for all of us. Pregnant or not, it's been tiring.
  
• Faster talking, faster walking/running, faster manipulation time
• whining that often becomes conniving
• laughing that is incredibly infectious
• opinions that are strongly expressed ("Those aren't the rules, Mommy!")
  
• the use of words like "actually, in fact, finally, eventually, suddenly, after all". Sometimes I feel like this kid could have his own instructional tv show.
  
• the development of logic that is completely clear and at the same time, completely fuzzy
• the acquisition of knowledge about almost every percussion instrument
• wrapping paper tubes can be guitars, bass, banjos, and even mandolins
• singing a song is a great way to ignore your parents when they request you clean up
  
• my kid cannot be in a car without music--preferably his music
• potty training is evil with boys
• he tries to show kindness and empathy to everyone he meets. One day this will break his heart (and mine). One day this will make him extremely happy.
• testing his parents and others became an interesting part-time job
• his imagination has grown immensely. Sometimes this makes me realize how narrow minded I have become with age.
  
• he still loves to read (yes!)
• he loves to travel
• he's a boy and seems to be really good with directions in the car
  
• he recognizes Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen
• he loves when other people come to visit and hates when they leave
  
• he asks adults if they have no food in front of them if they would like some of his
• a recall of events sometime later which makes me ask, "How do you remember that?"
• milk is the only thing he will use as a dip for food. Sometimes this is appropriate and other times this is completely disgusting. Carrots and milk anyone?

A completely random list and there's plenty more. Like I said last year, we still haven't broken him and he still wakes up happy to see us in the morning. That is something for which I am incredibly grateful.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Boy. Keep on strumming and singing.

See ya later, two!

The Big D

Forgive me for the lack of posting. Aside from using my extra time for nesting purposes, the only other topics I could write about lately is shocking toddler behavior. I started a post about it, but never finished it. Maybe I will, but hopefully we've moved on and that's that for now.

We took a last minute trip up to the Big D on Friday and Saturday. That's Dallas to the rest of you. B had to renew his sedation license so that his patients wouldn't get angry when he told them that he had to do their root canal without anesthesia. Originally he was going to drive up and back on the same day, but we agreed that spending a few extra bucks on a hotel room and not falling asleep at the wheel or in the class might be a better option. Thanks to our buddies over at Priceline, he got a great hotel for $50. When I found out how nice it was, I decided that J and I should tag along and have some fun.

Here's what J thought of the experience. I said, "J, would you like to go to Dallas and see a new city and go to a museum while daddy goes to school?" J said, "Yeah! I think that would be AMAZING!" His enthusiasm just cracks me up. He was so excited that he didn't sleep at all on the way up there even though we left right before his bedtime. There were too many neon lights to gaze upon. When we got to the hotel room, which for some odd reason, he called, "the church hotel", he said, "Wow! This is my new bedroom? I am so excited to be here." Thankfully we were all able to fall asleep rather quickly.

The next morning, we dropped B off at his class. As we drove through downtown Dallas, J said, "This is the biggest city I have ever seen in my life! Look at how big the buildings are!" All I could think was just wait until I take you to New York City, kiddo. J and I returned back to our church hotel for a leisurely morning of breakfast and Mickey Mouse. We then ventured over to the Museum of Nature and Science. Given that we spent about three hours total inside, I'd say the museum got two thumbs up from J. It actually was a lot of fun. The upstairs is geared towards older kids, but still fine for younger kids to browse. J especially enjoyed the giant nose that you could stick your head into and it would sneeze you out. There was also a place where you could experiment with sound. It took about 2.2 seconds for my music loving child to seize the microphone and belt out an echoing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Other people in the exhibit area cracked up because the microphone was meant to be used for testing simple sounds, but whatever. His confidence drew a crowd of other kids that then wanted to sing their own little tunes.

The downstairs part of the museum was a children's museum fit with a firetruck and fireman apparel, a giant xylophone, tarantulas, snakes and other creepy crawlies, a giant cow that could be milked, a farm area with tons of activities, a building station, sand pit, water exploration area, hot air balloon, and dental exhibit. The best part was we were there at lunch time so there were very few people around and J got to linger and revisit things numerous times.

It was a gorgeous day. The only meltdown we had was when I told J we couldn't ride a swan boat. I didn't think taking a toddler in a boat by myself while I am pregnant was the best of ideas. I did allow a quick jaunt out on a rock to look at turtle in the middle of a pond. After some munching and walking, J said he wanted to go back inside again, which was fine with me because I was wondering what we were going to do for the next 2.5 hours. It was back to xylophoning, firefighting, and cow milking. So fun.

The museum is actually on the state fairgrounds and is the home to a variety of museums. We also checked out the American Railway Museum. J and I were both of the opinion that it was a complete bust. The trains were really cool (and old) but there were only a few cars that were open to walk through and J really wanted to steer a steering wheel. We managed to find one on the back of a caboose. We weren't supposed to climb up there, but we did anyway. Thankfully that satisfied the steering wheel need and we called it a day. J fell asleep in the car for a bit before we went to pick up B and head back home.

The ride from Dallas to Austin is incredibly painful. It's straight for three hours. There's nothing to look at. And I had a kicking kid causing multiple rest stops, and another kid in the back saying, "I can't see home! Where is it?" The fun was over, but we had a pretty good time.

Obamanos!

As I was getting J ready for bed last night, I asked him if he could say inauguration. With much determination he replied, "in-aug-u-wation". I told him we were going to watch an inauguration tomorrow because we are going to have a new president. I asked him if he knew who the new president would be and he yelled out, "Barack, Barack, Barack Obama!" Awesome.

When he woke up this morning, I heard him tell B that "he couldn't watch The Biscuit Brothers today because he was going to watch the inauguration with Barack Obama and that would take a long time." Now he keeps asking where Barack Obama is. Maybe he thinks he's coming over to watch some tv and share a snack? I have a feeling he's going to be a little disappointed.

Blue or red, have a great day everyone!!