Tuesday, December 23, 2008

I HATE nasal aspirators

Yep.  I really do hate them.  I know they make it easier to get all the gunk out, but Tom fights me on it...poor little guy.  He's been stuffed up for nearly a week now.  And he passed it on to the rest of us.  My throat hurts from all the yucky stuff in my sinuses.  Zach has a nasty wet cough to rival Tom's.

SICKIES GO AWAY!!!!

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Big person cups

I'm both proud and sad that Zach is using a big person cup already.  He still needs a little help.  And, he only gets to have water so it's not too terribly messy when the inevitable spill/slosh happens.

It's so cute!  But, I'm afraid that he will only drink water out of a big person cup now.  We'll see how it goes when we have to travel a bit.  Of course, we don't go very far these days.  Just across town, at the most.

Here's a sampling of how it went this morning:

Z: water, peas
M: you have water over there (pointing at a sippy of water)
Z: cup
M: you want to use the cup?
Z: water cup, peas
M: OK, I'll put some water in the cup
Z: WATER!!! (happy, not impatient)
M: Hold the cup with both hands right here
Z: boaf hands
M: tip it up
Zach drinks succesfully without spilling!!!!  several times in a row....then coughs because he got too much
M: let's get you dry...do you want a clean, dry shirt?
Z: keen dry shirt
And off we went to change his shirt.  Then more of the same.

But he's still in the same shirt now.  And he's letting me not give him water at the moment.  But, Curious George is on the TV.  Oh, and I'm trying to spell what he says phoenetically.

Monday, December 1, 2008

First Fire of the season

This video was edited to make it short enough to fit on the page. Oh, and if you usually just read this as an email, you really have to come to the page itself for the video. At least, that's what I've been told. And, just so you all know, it takes a VERY LONG time to upload a video....even one this short. Don't expect to see them very often.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Soapbox

Normally, I don't talk politics, but my dear husband got this song stuck in my head this morning.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Anecdote of the day

This morning, while Tom was napping, I was looking for Zach because he needed to have his diaper changed.  I knew he was in his room.  I couldn't find him anywhere.  Here follows what happened:

M: Zach?  Where are you?
Z: Mama? (giggling)
M: Zach? Are you hiding?
Z: more giggles
M: Do you need a clean, dry diaper?
Z: Clean, dry diaper?
M: Yes, do you need one?
Z: (giggling and crawling out from under the crib) NO!
M: OK, we can change it in the living room if you want....on the couch.
Z: COUCH!!!!
M: OK, let's go.

Unfortunately, it turned out to be a poopy diaper and we had to go back to his room to get it all cleaned up.  But I think he's finally over that stomach virus that was forcing many more diaper changes than he wanted.  We'll be stopping the BRAT diet slowly over the week so that when he stays with Aya and Grandpa next weekend, he can have normal food again.  I think he's tired of applesauce with rice mixed in.

And, maybe, if we're all very lucky, he'll decide that he wants to use the potty while he's there.  (crosses fiingers)

Monday, November 3, 2008

Sunday, November 2, 2008

November, already????

Well, we spent the weekend with Aya and Grandpa...not the collective we.  Dan spent the weekend hunting and getting nothing (oh, well.  I guess that means I have to actually buy red meat this year.)

The most fun part of this weekend was me taking Zach trick-or-treating for the very first time.  He didn't know what was really going on, but caught on very quickly that people were giving him candy when we rang their doorbells.  We dressed him up as a lion (thank you, Jules!!!) and he didn't even try to take the mane off.

I'll have to post pictures after Aya remembers to email them to me.  I forgot the camera (bad, Mama!!!).

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Time flies

Not when you are having fun.  Oh, no.  We all know about that one.

It flies when one day, your toddler looks up at you and says, "poop, again."  What?!?  You did?  You're telling me you pooped, again?  And when you check, it's totally true!  My understanding is that the next step is that he will tell me while he is.  But, sometimes, he goes to his room to hide from me when he is and then will tell me.  So, today (after much research and searching for the best price) I bought some cloth training pants.  They should arrive in a week or so.  I don't know if Dan and I are really ready for this.  I mean, Zach has taken off his diaper and peed on the floor before, but now it's more like it could happen whenever and where ever.  Yikes!

Oh, and he can suddenly say, "ear" instead of "eawa."  He can pronounce an "r."  When did that happen?  Overnight!  Really!  And he happily repeats us when we ask him to pray.  Nothing hard, mind you.  But every night, we sit on the couch in his room and he repeats, one word at a time, "God bless Mama, Da, Tom, Aya, Grandpa, Nannie, Grandaddy, Shoo-Shoo, and Jackson.  Amen."  And for those of you who may or may not care....we switch up the order all the time.  Tom is always third.  The dogs are always last.  I think you get the picture.

Here's to hoping he catches on quickly once we decide to take a weekend to introduce exactly what we mean when we ask if he needs to sit on the potty.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Proud Mama moment!!!

Today, Zach asked for milk after lunch.  He actually said, "milk, please."  I didn't have to prompt him for that "please."  I'm so excited!!!  I don't know how soon it will be like that all the time, but YAY!!!!

Monday, October 20, 2008

...and single mom for the week

Yep, Dan is in DC on a business trip.  He won't be home until Thursday night after the boys are in bed.  To stave off not having help, I stayed with my parents for this past weekend.  Tom is finally warming up to Grandpa.  Yay!!!  Now, if we could just get him to sleep better there.  It may take having Zach decide he's ready for a big boy bed so that Tom can have the crib instead of a Pack 'n' Play to sleep in.

Short update, but there it is.  We haven't disappeared.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Overwhelmed much?

Yeah, a while back I said I'd have a clean office....and I was getting things going so that I could go back to school and get my Masters Degree.  Well, the office is far from clean and my boys are keeping me so unbelievably busy, I don't know where I would fit grad school in.  Perhaps it's time to start a list of things that are crazy important to me and discover where post-graduate education fits in...as well as having a clean house.  Don't worry, I won't bore most of you with that list....just the ones whose lives may change drastically if I do this.

Just when I think we're getting there, we don't

I really wish that having a wet bottom bothered Zach. It doesn't. We use cloth inserts in the gdiapers because our plumbing doesn't like the flushable inserts. That was a very quickly learned, and somewhat expensive lesson. Anyway, he sometimes tells me that he's pooped. Yay!!! That's one huge step forward toward him using the potty. But today, he soaked the entire insert. That's a lot of liquid. It's 6 layers of hemp and cotton. Hemp is so thirsty, I didn't think I'd have to worry that much about it. WRONG! Maybe I should look for bamboo. Maybe. I guess we'll just work on it some more.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Oddly enough, it's not a bottle

Well, this weekend, Dan tried giving Tom a bottle so that we could find out if it was that Tom knew if I was available.  He still wasn't really taking to it.  But we were persistent and I am only nursing first thing in the morning and last thing at night.  But, my mom was here to watch the boys on Friday for a bit.  And, it turns out that she figured out that Tom was actually using the sippy cup.  She has both more patience and sleep so could notice it.

Today, I tried the formula in the sippy cup.  He's still not drinking as much as I would expect, but he is drinking it from the sippy.  So, I guess I can get rid of all my bottles.  Recycle people, here they come!

Thursday, October 2, 2008

I gotta wonder

I got to cuddle with Zach for 15 whole minutes yesterday morning. He was tired and cold and needed some Mama cuddle time. We covered up with two blankets and he sat on my lap on the couch while we watched the first half of Curious George. I could have sat like that for hours, I think. His nose sounds stuffy, but there's nothing there that I can see. I'm sure that isn't comfortable. I hate that feeling, so why should he like it?

Wow, I could probably babble on for a long time right now, if Zach would allow me to. But, I think he needs more attention again.

Happy Anniversary, Dan! It's hard to believe, but it's been 4 years now.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Elbow update

Well, I got a follow-up appointment because my elbow wasn't (still isn't) 100%.  He moved my arm around some more and turns out that falling down, but not breaking or dislocating, means tennis elbow.  Not sure how that works, but that's what it is.  Fun stuff.  Hoping that it calms down within the next two weeks, or I'll end up needing physical therapy.  All this from tripping over a stupid toy.  Yeah, I'll be turning on the lights from now on....before I start walking through the house while it's still dark outside.

Monday, September 29, 2008

He BIT me!!!

I'm so sad.  I knew I'd eventually stop nursing and all, but I was actually enjoying it.  And he up and bit me!!!  TWICE!  I screamed from pain, scared him into crying, started crying myself, and then we settled.  (Oh, and Zach said, "Whoa!!!" when I screamed.  Poor guy had no clue why I was upset.)  And then he wouldn't finish.  I was really hoping to make it far enough to introduce cow's milk instead of more formula.  But you all knew that.  I have many reasons for that.  Not the least of which is that a gallon of milk is by far much less expensive than the same quantity of formula no matter how it's stored...including powdered (which is my preference since it is the cheapest way to get it).

Now, I guess we try to get him to take a bottle...or a sippy.  I don't really care which, but I do care that he gets enough to eat.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

So much for the bottle...and other things

He doesn't seem to understand. Oh, well. I guess that's just the way it's going to be. I'm certainly not heart-broken, but I am frustrated. I have to take him into a quiet area or he won't nurse.

On a brighter note, Zach finally told me today when he had a poopy diaper. One step closer to using the potty. Woohoo!!!

He doesn't want to miss a thing!

Yeah, he's a busy little guy.  OK, not so little, but you all know what I mean.  I am still nursing Tom, but that after lunch thing just isn't for him, but he's still hungry.  So, we are trying something new today.  Not what I want, but what I think he needs.  Dan is going to attempt to give him a bottle.  I was hoping for two things on this really.  I wanted to avoid giving Tom a bottle, period.  I was hoping to go directly to sippy cups.  I wanted to avoid formula as much as possible...yes, I use it in his cereal, but I didn't want him to have very much.  I'm guilt-tripping myself now.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Listening to little boys

While in and of itself, it's ear-piercing and head-splitting, it's so nice to hear my boys laugh and scream and giggle together. It means they are having fun and I don't have to worry about what they are doing....so long as there is no snack sitting out where Zach can get it and attempt to feed it to Tom. We're still working on that one. I'm glad he wants to share, but I really wish he'd share his toys rather than his sippy of milk or peanut butter sandwich. Yeah, Tom can't have those yet, little man.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Making baby food

Who knew it was really so easy to make your own baby food. Yes, you have to be a little careful and make sure it's pureed smooth and whatnot....that's the hard part. I got an acorn squash at the store a few days ago (before the elbow incident) and today I baked it while Tom was down for his morning nap. It came out of the oven just a little bit ago and I scooped out the flesh into the container I used for pureeing it. I bought a stick blender (aka - an immersion blender) so that I'd be able to do this even easier and with less clean up than a regular blender. Wow! We are really going to save a bunch of money....time, well, that's another story. But, all in all, it's not any harder....I can spend time with the kids while things like the squash bake and it takes less time to puree and serve than it does to open a jar. How crazy is that?

As a side note, it appears that I didn't break my elbow...just jammed it very hard. Dan's bursitis is not just bursitis, but also an impinged nerve. I'll keep you all updated as we know more.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Note to self....make sure you can see where you are going before you start walking

Wow!  Who knew that toys meant for a 12-month old could be so dangerous.  This morning, I tripped over one of those learning to walk and can be ridden type things.  I fell....HARD.  On my left knee (it's got a pretty bruise) and on my left wrist.  The wrist, elbow, and shoulder all screamed at me for a good ten minutes...the wrist eventually popped and it feels just fine for now.  The shoulder calmed down.  The elbow...well....I'm glad the x-rays showed it wasn't dislocated.  Who knew you could actually dislocate an elbow?  But, it might be broken.  Those same x-rays were inconclusive due to all the swelling.  So, I'm told that if it doesn't get markedly better in the next few days, that I will probably need more x-rays and it's likely broken.  If so, that means it's got a chip floating around in there and I'll probably end up needing surgery.  Yuck!!!  If I'm lucky, then I just jammed it really, really hard.  No obvious bruising or swelling on the outside, so who knows?

I never knew that my left elbow was used so much.  I can hardly pick up Tom.  Zach, on the other hand, is actually not to difficult.  I guess that's because he can help get himself picked up.  Well, here's hoping I didn't do any major damage.  Oh, and as a side-note, Dan's got bursitis.  We are both gimpy.  *sigh*

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Food...give me more food, mama!!!!

Well, after having been so resistant to solid food, Tom has decided that he can't get enough.  This evening, Dan and I decided that he really needed to have more than just the cereal and we didn't really have time to steam anything and then puree it...so, while I was spooning the cereal in as fast as I could, Dan washed a pear, pealed it, cut it into chunks, and pureed it.  Dan spooned a bit into the bowl I had used for the cereal, and Tom just devoured it.  (So much for not liking pears.)  So, he spooned some more into the bowl...more devouring.  Wow!!!  I thought Zach could eat, but he's got nothing on Tom.

I am so not looking forward to the grocery bills when these two are teenagers.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Whoa, there, little men...stop growing up so fast!

Tom, over the course of just a few days, has popped through 2 teeth and I can see two more already.  Here's to hoping he doesn't bite while nursing.

Zach picks up several new words every single day.  I'm glad he's getting more verbal, but can we slow down on that and start using the potty?  Please???

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Too bad avocados are getting expensive again

Tom loved the avocado he got today at lunch.  I bought a small one a couple days ago that was almost ripe.  It was $.89!!!  But, this little guy of mine seems to prefer things that aren't as sweet as banana or pear.  Kind of strange, but I won't argue.  I guess that means that vegetables won't be as difficult with him as they were with Zach.  Man, oh, man I wish it was the season for them.  But, then again, maybe he'll like winter squash too and that's an easy thing for me to get very soon.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Mama isn't always the first one to get some love

This morning, while Zach was eating breakfast and Dan was getting ready to go to work, Dan got the first love from Zach. "'Ove 'ou, Da." Dan tried to get him to say it to me, but no such luck. I did, however, get a kiss from him.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Mama, food is actually yummy after all

As per the doctor's orders, I have been trying every day to give Tom food that is technically considered "solid."  Yeah, I know...liquidy, pureed fruit, rice cereal made with formula or water, or heck, even breastmilk counts as "solid" food in this case.  He didn't like the rice cereal.  He didn't like the bananas.  He didn't like the pears that were even sweeter than the bananas.  We tried cereal again because I was being lazy and didn't feel like mashing a banana or steaming and blending a pear into a puree.  (Yep, I'm doing my best to make his food.  Poor Zach had to subsist on Gerber and Earth's Best.)  First spoon was a no go....second spoon was a maybe this isn't so bad.  And after that, he was just trying to figure out how to get the stuff off the spoon faster!  Woohoo!!!!  I know there really wasn't anything to worry about with him being so resistant.  But I feel so much better now that he's actually interested in something other than "booby-juice."  Don't get me wrong, I love nursing...but there's only so much I can handle when the boy wants to put his foot in my armpit, then curl his toes and pinch the skin, and pull my fingers out of joint while eating.

Monday, September 1, 2008

It's a burp, right?

Zach doesn't like to lie still...ever, but especially not for diaper changes.  So, I usually give him a toy, or tickle him enough to let him know that I'll go as fast as he lets me.  Well, during one of the tickling episodes today, he farted.  I said to him, "You farted!" with a big smile on my face, because it was funny.  He looked so confused, so I then said, "You had a butt burp; your butt burped."  He thought about this for a very little bit, and then said to me, "butt burp."

Saturday, August 30, 2008

OK, maybe not as crazy as I thought

Turns out that Zach wasn't ready for the side of the crib to be gone. We put him down and he looked so worried. So, we asked him if he wanted it back. The answer was a definitive, "yes!" Well, I guess that means that's one thing I can wait on, but I figure it'll be soon anyway. He's not quite ready for the crib to be gone, and that's just fine with us.

Are we crazy? Probably!!!!

This morning, Zach wanted to cuddle with both of us...very cute.  Then, we asked him if he wanted a bed instead of a crib.  He didn't seem to understand, but kept repeating "bed" over and over.  So, we brought him to his room and let him watch us take apart the crib and lower the mattress.  He then crawled in and out of bed many, many times.  We're going to see if he will take a nap this way.  Wish us luck!

Friday, August 29, 2008

He's a sneaky one, that Zach

Yep, he sure is!  I knew he'd played with the wipes container, but I didn't know that he'd pulled a whole bunch out and then stuck them back in.  At least they were still usable when I had to change his diaper this afternoon.

Holy Huge Kids, Batman!!!

Yes, they really are big!  Zach measured in at 37 and 1/2 inches.  That's more than 3 feet!!!!  If you believe in the double their height at 2 to find out how tall they'll be thing...that's 6' 3" when he hits his full adult height.  Whoa!  And he's only 30 pounds.  (For those of you who care, his height is off the charts now and his weight is still right there at the 75%.)  He did well getting his finger pricked to check for anemia.  Wow, he's a bleeder and doesn't like to have bandages on his fingers.  Amazingly enough, he managed to keep the blood off all the clothes on everyone who helped.

Tom has slowed down a bit.  We aren't worried about it in any way.  He's 28 inches long and 18 pounds 13 ounces.  (That's right at 95% and 75% for him.)  I was told not to worry about the solids, just keep trying.  Strange how different he is from his brother.  He's really just totally uninterested in the food we have for him, but wants everything we are eating.  I guess that means that if I'm feeding Zach some pear at lunch, Tom will now get it all mushed up.  I was even told that it's OK if I introduce more than one food at a time.  My guess is that it's because we don't have a history of food allergies, so whatever I can get in him is good at this point.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Happy Half Birthday, Little Man!

It's hard to believe, but my little one is 6 months old today! I really don't know where the time goes anymore. The not-so-little guy is still finicky about his food...nothing but mama's milk and only from the source. We'll work on it. He's still sleeping through the night, so I guess he can't be that hungry, can he?

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Water Mains are important when you use cloth diapers

I am so very glad that I had already done the diapers the day before the water mains in my neighborhood broke....3 of them!!!  As I understand it, two broke from the extra water from the rain...and the third one broke when they tested the first one to see if it was fixed.  Thank goodness for small miracles.  This was on Friday.  I have more appreciation for my washing machine now than I ever did.

Friday, August 15, 2008

To Diaper, or not to diaper

Wow! I feel extraordinarily lucky when it comes to my elder son. He never really has been sick (knock on wood) and he's a generally happy guy. Now, I've heard and read stories about babies taking off diapers and playing with the contents of said diaper. I feel even more lucky that Zach hasn't done that...yet. But, during/after his nap yesterday and this morning when he got up, he took off his shorts and his diaper....full, but only wet! (Thank goodness for small things like that.) I didn't have to change his sheets...just his shirts. So, now I'm thinking, is he ready yet? Do you think I've asked him if he wants to get rid of those diapers? NOPE!!! He's still peeing in them, so not quite ready, I don't think. Soon, but just not yet. He's only recently started putting more than one word together to ask for things or tell me things. And I haven't heard the word "potty" come out of his mouth yet....but very soon.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Quote of the Day

"A-boo, Om"  Translated, he said, "peek-a-boo, Tom."

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Economics, Anyone?

Yep, I'm going to attempt this again.  I finally figured out that being a SAHM just isn't enough for me.  I need something outside of my boys to keep me sane.  It appears that school is the way to go for me.  And, since UTD is the closest school of any kind, other than the community colleges, I will be attempting to actually finish the application process finally.  I've tried it twice now.  The first time was before we even knew Zach was going to join us, or before we had any inkling that we'd be moving to NOVA.

When we came back, I decided I'd make the attempt again.  And discovered I was pregnant with Tom.  I didn't think starting graduate school while pregnant was the best idea since I don't really do pregnant well.  And, I couldn't imagine myself going to any classes during Tom's first few months of life.  Well, life has calmed down a bit, and I feel like I can probably take on one class for the Spring semester...so, not until January.  That feels very far away right now, but I know that by the time I get all my ducks in a row for applying, I'll probably barely make it in before the application deadline.

And, if you hadn't already figured it out, my plan is to get my MS in Economics.  I don't know where I'll go from there, but I do know that I need something.  Something that will propel me in some sort of forward direction is good.  Staying at home has been wonderful.....most of the time.  I'm sure that all moms have had those days where they just didn't want to be needed for at least 3 hours in a row.  I haven't had that for quite some time, unless I was sleeping.  While sleep is a wonderful thing that we all need, it isn't enough "me time" since I don't always get to actually enjoy it long enough.  I can't remember the last time I actually got enough sleep.  OK, done rambling there.  I'm hoping that I can get a few of the undergrad courses under my belt and get back in the groove of having some sort of real schedule over the next few year.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Poor Sleepy Little Guy

It's hard to believe that almost 6 months have passed since we met Tom for the first time. And, while I put in the title that he's a little guy, he's far from it. I don't have an official weight for him, but I got on the scale with him the other day and he's already pushing 20 lbs!!!! Dan and I bought a new car seat for him this past weekend so that we wouldn't be caught without one ready. It should last him a nice long time. We could switch it out now, but he can't sit up yet, and I really need him to be able to do that to make shopping a bit easier before we do that. The seat is able to stay rear facing until he's 35 lbs and forward facing until he's 70 lbs/8 years old. I don't know when he'll hit that 70 lb mark, but if he keeps going the way he is, it very well could be before he's 8. Yikes!

On to the title of the post. I think he's trying to give up his third nap, but failing pretty miserable at it. He keeps waking up very early from both his morning and his afternoon naps. Today, I finally just let him cry so that he'd get that all important third nap. It's always a short one, but he needs it or he calls it a day at 5!!! That's just not a good idea. Because when he does that, he inevitably wakes up at 5 AM for food. No thank you, sir. You've been sleeping through the night for way too long to start waking up at 5 to eat again.

Oh, and for those of you who actually come to the website, you can see that I added a flickr badge. Any pictures I have on Flickr that are marked public will show up there. And, you can click on them and it will take you to my Flickr photo. You can see all public photos there quite a bit bigger than on the badge. :)

Thursday, August 7, 2008

More Clean Freak!

*SIGH* Life gets in the way so often. I've been stuck in the limbo part of cleaning up this room for several days now. Zach doesn't generally want me to not be in the same room as him....or, rather, he wants to be in the same room I'm in, so he wants in the office and can't be in the office...I will finish, eventually. And then I'll post the pictures.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Clean Freak!!! Part 2

Those of you who know me well, know that I frequently have the best intentions of doing something....and then it just falls through.  Well, I haven't finished yet.  Life with a toddler, an infant, two dogs and a husband who finds it quite easy to distract me, has kept me from finishing as fast as I'd like.  But, I do have pictures...that aren't being posted until I have the finished pics to prove that I can finish something that I start and have it be nice.  I've actually managed to see more carpet in this room than I thought was there...LOL...Ok, not really, but there is carpet there.  I can sit on it now to go through all the piles that I made neatly so that I could figure out what needed to be put in the recycle bin and what needed to be shredded first.

And, yes, Marlyn, I really do have the pictures...you'll just have to wait.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Happy Birthday to the Love of my Life!

I know today wasn't everything you hoped for....such is the life of parents with a toddler and an infant.  I love you very much.

Pee is so much fun...

....to play in. Oh, my. Yes, he did. *sigh* Last night, while Dan and I were occupied with other things, Zach took off his diaper and peed on the floor. Sorry, no pictures. We were trying to get him to stop playing with the pee that was on the vinyl flooring in our entry way and get it and him cleaned up. Amazingly enough, the diaper was totally dry. Potty training, here we come!!!!

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Clean Freak!!!

For those of you who actually have been to my house, you know that we have one room that is blocked off from both the dogs and the boys. It is technically a dining room, but we use it as our office. I have watched a nimble 3 year old climb over the baby gate, and I now dread the day that Zach figures out that he can do it. This room contains our kitchen trash can and recycle can because Zach got interested in them and I was too lazy to keep him out of them. It also has two desktop computers and a separate desk with an attached bookshelf. Under that desk, there is an extra old-style computer monitor, CPU, and the shredder. My cookbooks are on another bookshelf as well. This room is about as far from baby-proofed as you can actually get.

Now and then, I've seen Zach attempt to climb over the baby-gate. I've always been able to stop him and direct his attention elsewhere. But I know there will be a day when I'm otherwise occupied, and he'll figure out how to get in. Thus, I must clean up this room. It just so happens that this is the room that everything that isn't safe for a baby, toddler, or dogs gets dumped in. So, there really isn't much in the way of floor space right now either. All I can ask of you is that you wish me luck. I promise to post after pictures....hopefully in the next few days.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Presents, presents, presents!!!





Well, here are a few of the presents he got. He was very interested in the Curious George cars that Nannie and Grandaddy gave him. And, the table and chairs that didn't get wrapped were a big hit as well. Oh, and the last one is of him eating one of George's ears. LOL!!!

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Happy Birthday, Zach!


Happy Birthday, kiddo! Here's his Curious George cake. More stuff to come, but wanted to make sure I got this out to you all.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

I knew it was just a matter of time

It's true. Ask any mother with more than one child and a toy called an exersaucer and you'll hear an affirmative response. Did your older child ever try to get into the saucer? Yep. And here's the proof! I heard him playing with the stuff around the outside, but didn't realize he had tried to get in it. He wasn't very successful, and as such, was very unhappy when he tried to get back out and couldn't. I actually took the picture right before helping him out. Oh, and I didn't know until he moved just like this that he had not gotten both legs where they belong. LMAO!!!

Saturday, July 19, 2008

It's called a toilet, kiddo.

Well, I can see the beginning of what I'm afraid might be a very long road. Zach is showing the first few signs of being ready to use a potty. Woohoo!!!! Oh, no!!!! Now I'm gonna be cleaning up pee spots on the carpet, and the upholstery....ok, maybe I'll actually be one of the lucky ones whose kid actually gets it right away. Hope for the best, plan for the worst? Yep, that's the idea.

Mom bought us a few books to help us figure out a plan for teaching Zach how to use the potty and what it's for. I already have 2 books I bought for him. He has a potty chair that's his size that he plays with. Heck, he's even put the floppy-eared yellow thing called Bunny on it to play. That's definitely a good sign.

We have 7 pairs of underpants that have Elmo on them and 3 pairs of training pants....not sure if I'll want to use the training pants or not, but I have them, just in case. I haven't shown them to him yet. I need to get myself prepared before I try asking him if he's ready. Yep, we need to make a plan...and that needs to not be the royal we in this case. Oh, and part of the plan will require that I buy him some more shorts that just pull on and off...no zipper, snap, or button.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Terrible Two's?

OMG!!! I can't believe that Zach is being such a pain. Well, yes, I can. But, the point is that everything I've ever heard about the terrible two's is that they are supposed to be coming to an end as the kid reaches 2. My guess is that he is having the hardest time telling me what he wants and just getting frustrated beyond all reason.

Over the last few days, he started being a fusspot out of the blue. I'm in the room with him. He's doing his own thing. He's not chasing after the dogs with one of his ride on/push toys. And just starts screaming like there is something very, very wrong.

I honestly don't know how many days in a row of this I can take. But, I'll take Mom's advice. Start playing 20 questions. Do you hurt? Are you hungry? I gotta remember to be more specific with him. What's wrong? doesn't get an answer....just more crying. And, he's getting really strong!!!! If he's throwing one of these fits, he can pretty easily break from my arms.....guess it's time to hit the gym again. *sigh*

Monday, July 14, 2008

Growing Food


Garlic
Originally uploaded by ZJ&TS mom
Well, we had some garlic that started to sprout before I cooked with it...I know, I know....so I decided to plant it. It's going gangbusters now!

Zach doesn't like diapers

Wow! OK, so Zach doesn't always take a nap when he's been put in his room for one. This really isn't a big deal because at least he's getting some quiet down time and so am I. Usually, he doesn't nap because I don't know that he's got a poopy diaper until I go to get him up from the nap that he didn't take. Sometimes, he just doesn't nap.

I heard him talking away last Friday and figured I was in for another day of not a nap from him for no obvious reason. Then, I heard a rather ominous sound...velcro ripping. Yikes! OK, so I had already changed a poopy diaper. I can clean him up later if I really need to. Maybe he'll go to sleep without the diaper on and maybe I'll be lucky enough to not have a crib to clean and sheets to change and a carpet to clean. Turns out, it wasn't his diaper that I heard.

This is how I found him when he woke up.

Friday, July 11, 2008

The obligatory poop talk



Well, it occurred to me that many of you who might be reading this didn't know that we (that's probably the royal we) switched to cloth diapers. It's nowhere near as difficult as I had thought it would be. I started by using gdiapers in an effort to start leaving less of a footprint and live a little greener. (More on greener living in later posts, I'm sure.) Turns out that our plumbing is a bit sensitive to the flushable liner. It wasn't too expensive a lesson, but it was definitely learned quickly. So, we started flushing only part of the liner. The part that breaks down faster than toilet paper. But, that still left us with a smelly pail. Yeah, I know...mom talk. So, in an effort to get the smelly pail out of the house, I researched my options and man are there a LOT of options these days. I decided that to not have wasted the money on those very cute gdiapers covers, I would just buy what would normally be stuffed into a pocket diaper. So, now both boys are wearing those adorable covers stuffed with an insert made of 55% hemp and 45% cotton. Here's to hoping that Zach will learn that being wet is just as uncomfortable as being poopy and will at least start telling me when he needs his diaper changed, if not telling me when he needs to go potty.


I started this this morning because I changed a messy poopy diaper of Tom's. Man, breastfed baby poop is just plain messy. Thank goodness it doesn't really stink much. Zach's, on the other hand, is easy to clean up. Just dump it in the toilet, then put the cloth insert into the pail waiting for laundry day. I guess I prefer the stink and ease to the non stink and 5 minute routine of trying to get it all rinsed off into the toilet. They do make handy contraptions for rinsing cloth diapers. I don't know if they had them when my mom was changing my diapers, but I do know that she got down to the toilet and actually put her hands in the bowl to rinse out mine and my sister's. Our toilet happens to be close enough to the shower that I just use the shower head that's on a hose to get them rinsed off. Yay for modern technology!!!


And just for good measure, I've put in a couple of pictures of both boys in their diapers. Yeah, they are a few months old, but that's what I have available right now.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Gosh, I'm starting to feel old


It's funny. I don't really feel old....I'm just looking at Zach and thinking that I'm amazed at how much he's grown. His vocabulary is jumping by leaps and bounds. He can even point at his nose and tell me that it's his "nnnnohss." That one is kind of difficult to spell phoenetically. And his mouth is "mmmouf." I think he really likes the way the m,n and s sound. Anyway, he will be 2 years old in less than 3 weeks. That's crazy! I must be doing something right...he's still alive, and thriving at that.

Dan and I have gone back and forth about whether or not to have a big party....well, I've gone back and forth in my head about it. Dan doesn't seem to care too much either way. Zach's birthday is on a weekend that my dad has to work, so he won't be around for it no matter what. We've settled on a small party with no extra guests. He won't remember and we'll all be way less tired this way. I'm still going to make him a Curious George cake. I guess I'll have to post a picture here when I make it. Oh, and this picture is about a month old.

Smiling Tom

This is actually kind of old considering that he's an infant. I gave away the clothes he's wearing in this picture today. I was happy to make the room in my house, but sad that I won't see any more of my babies in them.
It's gonna take me a while to get used to posting here....hope you all don't mind this format.


The beginning

Well, it seems that I've been pulled into this by other people. I read lots of blogs, but I never really thought about doing one myself. I guess the best thing I can say is that I can put pictures up and let my whole family see them. I'm sure that I'll get behind, like all moms seem to, but I want to get started at least.

Life as the only girl....well, I have 3 boys in my house. My husband, and my two sons....thus, I am the only girl. I don't count the animals. So, there you go.