Message from the North Pole

J is in school right now, but when he gets home I have a wonderful surprise for him: a message from Santa! He's so into Christmas this year and asks every day if it's Christmas yet. Hopefully this will really thrill him!

To see J's message, click here.

On our way to the doctor....

J: I don't wanna go to the doctor!
Me: I promise you won't get any shots, just medicine.
J: NO! Don't wanna go to the doctor. I don't wanna be all better. I just wanna be sick.

The past few weeks, in pictures

Be quiet

Yesterday was a pretty rough day since O is cutting teeth. J woke up earlier than I did. What I didn't realize was that Matt had gotten up with him before he left for work. Matt took him potty and told him to play quietly in his room until I woke up.

I got up around 7:30 and went into his room to get him ready for school. There he is, with all his Toy Story toys. He smiles up at me.

Hi mommy. I went downstairs and got big Buzz Lightyear. But you can't push the buttons...he's too loud.

I didn't know whether to be shocked that he went downstairs or impressed that he knew to be so quiet.

Too much Diego?

It was a beautiful day and we decided to take the kids to the park. One of our favorite things to do after playing on the playground is to take a walk around the HUGE park. It's shaded, with a nice path, and J can ride his scooter.

There's a dog park at the side of the path, where you can let your dog run free. It's really an awesome idea and it's always packed. A woman passes us with her German Shepherd.

J: Look, mommy! A coyote!

Matt and I burst into laughter. The woman stifles a giggle. We figure, well a German Shepherd does kinda resemble a coyote. Then we pass a woman with 2 smaller dogs, like this. Only they were slightly less furry.

J: Look, 2 more coyotes!

This woman can't stop her laughter. At this point, we're assuming it must be the pointy ears. But, just now as I'm creating this post, he sees that same picture and says: awww, a cute wolf!

The Bible, In Summary...

I'm gonna read you this book. (opens bible) Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. (closes it) The end!

Only your fair share

While Trick or Treating, one neighbor really took a liking to J. She got down on his level and held the giant bowl of candy right in front of him.

NiceLady: What would you like?
J: I want this one.
NL: how bout this one too?

NiceLady keeps putting candy in his hands. One by one, J places them in his pumpkin basket. She must have handed him 20 pieces of candy. Finally J looks up at her and says: I think that's enough.

NiceLady gives him one more.

Buzz Lightyear, Space Ranger

J is super into Toy Story right now. He got quite a few birthday gifts from the movie too (2 of them in the picture above). I must say, I rather enjoy this new stage of playing. Action figures are much more up my alley, as I can pretend they are dolls. And let's face it, I aced playing dolls.

I usually get to be Woody and Rex. And he gets to be Buzz Lightyear, Hamm, and Mr. Tatato Head. He's been hopping around all day yelling "To infinimy let me on!" (aka To infinity and beyond).

He had jumped on the bed one too many times. As that breaks one of our rules, I kept reminding him to stop.

Finally, in exasperation, I said: James, go sit in timeout for jumping on the bed!

He looks at me and says, in all seriousness: I'm NOT James. I'm Buzz Lightyear.

Apparently I passed on the selfish gene

O man has caught a cold from J's sinus infection. This is why we were up with him all.night.long. He's currently napping on the couch. As a bride to be quiet, I offered J some popcorn.

I poured myself a tiny, measly pile of maybe 10 popcorns and I gave J the bag.

J:(points at pile) What's that?
Me: That's my popcorn.
J: Oh. I need to come share with you.
M: No, you have your own popcorn.
J: (makes a super angry face) Mommy, that's NOT good sharing!

A little later, I reach for the bag again.

J: No, mommy. You already ate your popcorn. This is mine.

Think he's my kid?

Snuggles

I've always wondered how people have pictures of their children sleeping together. I mean, the whole thing just sounds made up. Children sleeping?? Together? Surely this is a hoax. Or perhaps they are bribing their children with chocolate ice cream and presents, in order to stage this type of photo.

Sleeping pictures are my favorites. Maybe it's because that's about the only time the little demons seem sweet. But I had pretty much given up on that coveted picture of my kids sleeping together. If you've met my kids, you'll understand.

Both of them are pretty sure that sleeping is over-rated.

Which is why last week, when J climbed into our bed at 6:30 am, I was pretty certain I was doomed to a day filled with grumpy, over-tired kids. O was nursing and somehow managed to sleep through the noisy, elaborate show that is J climbing into our bed. It involves lots of toy arranging and lots of banging around, as J will not allow you to help him. I gave J the "don't you dare make a sound or else" look and closed my eyes, pretending I was asleep.

And then, something happened. I fell asleep. Sound asleep. I woke with a start and groggily looked at the clock, which read 8:19 am. Seriously?! A quick look around revealed my boys......ASLEEP!

Overcome with shock, I sat there staring at them. It happened to be a school day. And a school day meant the thing I hate the most. I had to wake them. But not before I got my much desired picture.

A note from the future

Dear Self,

When you spend 30 minutes rocking your baby to sleep, only to have him peek from beneath his eyelids just to make sure you're still there, enjoy the feeling of being so needed. When he fusses at night, only to stop the second you bring him into your bed, smell his baby head and kiss his baby cheek. You will one day miss those moments of cuddling. That baby, the one who grabs your shirt when you dare to try to put him down, holding tight like a lifeline, will one day have a baby of his own. And you will look back fondly on these moments, wondering why you ever needed 2 seconds of free time.

When your toddler follows you around, pulling on your pants-legs, screaming angrily for more snacks, take comfort in the fact that you are one of the most important people to him. If he sobbingly declares that he doesn't want to nap, take a few extra minutes to lie down with him until he's calm. One day instead of him talking your ear off in the car, there will be silence. You will miss the constant jabber of a 3 year old, telling you about his day.

One day your children will be grown and living their own lives. One day you will wonder why they haven't called or visited in a few days. You will worry whether or not they are eating right, getting enough sleep, or driving safely. You will offer your unsolicited advice, only to know deep-down that they are simply smiling and nodding. One day, these children who have occupied every single minute of your time, will be their own people.

Life is short. And time is fleeting. So enjoy what you have now.

Love,
Self

Nothing says October like too much orange

For our first trip as a family of 4 to the pumpkin patch, I had grand visions of catching that elusive family photo. I dressed the boys carefully, matching in fall colors. I bathed the baby ahead of time, in order to reduce his sensitive skin.

In my efforts to get them ready, I neglected to allot time for myself. Scratch that. Move onto Plan B: elusive photo of the boys together. For someone who snaps probably 20 photos a day, you would think I have more pictures of them together. But no. One or the other is typically not cooperative (attention J, I mean you).

So we trekked to the pumpkin patch. Quickly I could tell that everything was going downhill. O was overtired. Lovely. He fell asleep on the bumpy hayride out to the pumpkins.


We managed to get some really awesome pictures of J by pretending different animals were sitting on the top of Matt's head. This usually generates .02 seconds of laughter, so I have to be quick. Miraculously it worked.



Then O woke up and a photo op didn't seem so daunting after all. Perhaps it would make a cute Christmas card (and yes Matt, you can have pumpkins in a Christmas card. People put beach pictures in Christmas cards, so what's wrong with pumpkins??) But we had a pretty uncooperative baby. And one other problem....wow, that's a lot of orange!!

One day they'll be friends...

"Mommy, take a picture of me snugglin' Buggy"


If only it looked like he actually liked his brother in the picture *sigh*

A Spin on the Alphabet

A, B, C, JO, EEEEE, Y
A, B, 6, JO, EEEEE....

Nuts. I can't sing anymore of that song!

Sweet Baby James

My dear sweet boy,

I'm sitting here on the couch after a fun-filled third birthday with you. And as you sleep upstairs, I sit here in the calm and quiet and think back to 3 years ago today.

It was the best and worst day of my life.

The early morning hours of October 8, 2006 brought us to the hospital. When we arrived, the labor and delivery parking spots were full. Instead, we parked in a cardiac spot. I said to your father "what if someone with a heart problem needs this spot?" and he replied "we won't need it for long". I think back on that simple moment often. It passed with nary a thought. But now, it seems somehow important, somehow like fate.

You joined our lives at 1:25 pm, all 8 pounds 6 ounces and 21.5 inches of you. You had a head full of dark hair, big blue eyes, and a piercing gaze. You were perfect. And we were instantly in love. We enjoyed you only briefly before sharing you with our families who were anxious to meet you. I was the happiest I'd ever been. Life couldn't have gotten any better.

And then, that evening, in the middle of Desperate Housewives, we got the news that would change our lives. Our world crumpled when they told us that your heart was special. Daddy wheeled me down to see you before they rushed you to the Children's Hospital. I stroked your hair, kissed your cheek, and told you I loved you.

We were scared. We had no idea what the future would hold. It seemed more than we could handle, more than anyone should have to handle.

But now, here we are 3 years later. Our prayers have been answered in the most amazing way. You are happy. You are healthy. You are perfect. I am constantly amazed at how intelligent you are. Every day you are learning new things and seeing the world in a new light. You have given us joy, laughter, sorrow, and unconditional love. You are the reason we became a family. You gave us a reason to stay strong and to learn patience. And by testing our faith, you brought us closer as a family.

On this, your third birthday, I would like to tell you how grateful I am that you have taught me such valuable life lessons.

I will love you, forever and always,

Mama

Teddy Bear Picnic

Last week we had a Teddy Bear Picnic at J's school. Right after school ended, Matt, O, and I all joined J and his classmates on the playground. He was so excited to see us and couldn't wait to show us the things he loved to play with.

Eating lunch:



Showing us his favorite slide:


His "woofy" won the snuggliest friend award:

Matching is overrated

We are having J's birthday party at Gymboree. The kids will have a chance to climb, jump, play, and do parachute time. Gymboree is one of those places where you have to remove your shoes. So in a moment of pure genius, I decided to get each partygoer a pair of socks. And what better than character socks for toddlers?

The girl guests are getting princess socks. The boy guests are getting CARS socks. As previously stated , CARS is J's obsession. So it was only fitting that we got J 3 pairs of socks.

Being almost 3 means that he has to put the socks on immediately. There is no patience when you're 3. I pull the tags off and start to put his new socks on. But no, I am stopped. I'm doing it wrong. He must wear a different sock on each foot. Matt points out that they don't technically match. And J says: they're both cars! Why yes, they are.

Life is a Highway

For Christmas last year we got J a power wheel. It's Lightning McQueen, since CARS is his favorite movie, and this car was a big hit.

I hate to admit it, but we don't take him out in it often enough. Matt and I are both self proclaimed outside haters and seeing as it's Georgia and all, it's typically way too hot to be outside.

So J's driving skills are a little sub-par.

Yesterday we took him outside to "drive" Lightning. As usual, he gets in the car and turns the wheel all the way to the right and presses the gas. This causes the circle effect. Meaning, he drives in a circle around the cul-de-sac. It's kinda nice. We don't have to pay too much attention, unless a real car is coming.

Matt and I are standing there chatting and out of nowhere J comes driving straight for us. Has to be coincidence, right? Afterall, he doesn't know how to steer. But no, he aims for us again. I have to move quickly since I'm holding the baby. Meanwhile J is laughing maniacally.

I stand in the yard. It's safe there.

J: mommy come stand in the street!
Me: Why, so you can try to run me over again?
J: Yup!
Daddy: at least he's honest.

Gender confusion

I just picked J up from school. Upon getting in the car, he usually tells me about his day. Today I asked him if he had fun with his friends.

J: I play with my friends. But Mrs. Tammie wasn't there.
Me: Where was she?
J: Mrs. Tammie at the Dr. I miss Mrs. Tammie. I need her to come back.
M: Well, I'm sure you had fun with Ms. Susan.
J: I play with Ms. Susan and a big guy.
M (thinking 'big guy' must be Mrs. Tammie's substitute): What was his name?
J: Actually, it might be a lady.

I just hope he didn't fill big-guy/might-be-a-lady in on his doubts.

Feet

We always take our shoes off before coming into the house to avoid dirt and grass everywhere. J has gotten used to this. He will sit down on the kitchen stoop and pull his shoes off before coming inside. In fact, he has now started pointing out when other people wear their shoes in the house.

Yesterday, Matt was loading him into the car for an errand. He leaned into the kitchen, from the garage, to pick him up when J says "Daddy, your shoes stay outside. And your feet stay inside. No feet outside."

We're pretty sure he meant that barefeet need to stay inside, but it still cracked us up.

An artist, he's not

Me (playing dumb as I pull J's artwork from his schoolbag): Oh my goodness! Who made this beautiful art?

J: Mrs. Tammie

Guess art isn't his best subject.

Happy 3 months, Buggy!

Too much observation

At bedtime tonight, I was reading J a story about animals.

Me: A camel is different because it has humps. See? This camel has 2 humps.
J: Oh. I see 1, 2 humps. Hey mommy, that's just like your boobies!

Happy "Bath-tism"

Changing my blog title

Or, I should.

"Look mommy, I'm a pretty princess"


Only it doesn't stop with just 1 pretty princess. No, we don't discriminate here.














I'm thinking the new title should be Three Princesses and Their Queen. Guess who the Queen is? ;)

First Day of School

Today was J's first day of school. I'll admit, I was extremely nervous to see how the day would go. I pictured him panicking and clinging to my leg. I pictured tears, both his and mine, and an agonizing 3 hours as I sadly sat in the parking lot and waited for the day to end. It's amazing to me that the baby I just delivered is now old enough to go to preschool. I blinked and time went by.

I tried my best to prepare him for this day, warning him that mommy would not be staying with him. I got a lot of advice from other people. Most people said to tell him I was going somewhere that he hated. These suggestions were typically the grocery store, the doctor, or the mall. There's just one teensy problem with those suggestions....my kid actually LIKES those places. The grocery store gives away free cookies, the doctor gives you stickers, and the mall is a great place to hide from your mom in the clothes racks, while she has a panic attack. I honestly couldn't think of a single place that he hates to go.

And then it hit me. I'll tell him that we're going to the doctor so O can have shots. I am a genius! What kid wants to go anywhere near shots?!?

So we start the day off in a hurry because, as usual, we're running late. I'm loading the car and I hear the door slam behind me. Crap! I start to run towards it, but I'm too late. I hear that all too distinct "click". I lunge for the doorknob, hoping against hope that I'm wrong. But I'm not wrong. He's definitely locked me out. I start to panic. I'm pounding on the door screaming for him to open it. He's silent on the other side, probably panicked at my crazy sounding voice. I'm yelling, and sobbing, while I picture my poor 2 month old upstairs on my bed. I don't even have my phone with me. How on earth will I get in there?! I start to imagine J terrorizing the house, or worse, climbing onto the counter and playing with knives. I tell him to turn the lock. I did turn it mommy. I tell him to turn it the other way. Somehow this works. I think probably only 20 seconds had elapsed. But it was still the worst 20 seconds I can recall in recent times. I stumble into the house, sobbing at him to NEVER do that again. He's scared, I can tell. But my heart is still racing and that adrenaline still has me freaked out. A quick phone call to the husband confirms that we will, indeed, be storing an extra key in our garage.

Now we're really late.

We pile into the car and head towards school.

Me: Ok J, mommy's going to take you to school and you'll have so much fun!
J: I think I want you to sit in the chair in Ms. Tammie's room and watch me play.
M: No, mommy has to take O to get his shots. You don't want shots do you?

(thoughtful pause)

J: I can come with you and help O get shots. Then you can come to my school with me.
M: No, if you go to the doctor you have to get shots.

(another thoughtful pause)

J: Ok, I'll get some shots.

Shit! Plan backfired. Abort, abort!

I start to backpedal, and tell him that I simply can't stay, but I'll be back soon. I walk him to his classroom. He runs straight for a table with play forks on it. He can't be bothered to give me a hug. In fact, he'll barely look at me. He's too busy talking to Ms. Tammie about these forks. I snap a few quick pictures and bail before he starts to cry.

By 11:40, I'm in the carpool line. I'm the second car. I'm nervous to hear how it went. Surely he sobbed when he realized I was gone. 20 minutes later, when school actually ends, Ms. Tammie walks him out. He's all smiles. There were no tears. He had a blast and even used the potty twice. They painted, went outside, had a snack, read a story, and played.

My big boy did it! And I couldn't be prouder!

Checking out the fish on the way in:


Not even looking at me...see the forks in his hand?


And showing off his very first school art project:

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Oh my gosh, what a day! This morning we went to see J's classroom. He was so excited about it. Well, we wake up and it's pouring down rain. Great. So I'm already running a bit late and we finally get to the school.

I had an internal debate about the best way to get both kids inside, while staying dryish. I decided to take O out of his carseat and just carry him, regular style. So I jump out of the car and run around to try and unbuckle him. This crazy, black dog comes out of nowhere! I'm feeling a bit sorry for it, so I reach down to read it's collar and it jumps in my car! I catch a glimpse of it's tag and her name is "Pepper". So I'm talking really sweet to Pepper and she won't get out of the car. She climbs into the driver's seat and curls up in a ball. I run around to that side of the car and open the door. Pepper jumps into the passenger seat. I can't reach her. And no amount of yelling "Pepper, come here!" is working. I run to the other side. Rinse and repeat...you get the picture. Meanwhile J is yelling from the back "get out of mommy's seat Pepper!" and the baby is screaming.

Somehow I manage to wrangle this dog into my grasp. Only now guilt takes hold. I can't just leave her, right?? So I find the phone number on her tag and call her house. Just my luck, no answer. I leave some sort of crazed message. Again, guilt takes hold. I consider leaving her in my car, but decide I don't know this dog well enough to have her around my babies. So I shove the poor dog out into the rain.

At this point, it's been so long that now people are leaving orientation. They see me let this dog out and assume I brought my dog to orientation. One lady accusingly says "whose dog is this?" I shout from my rain-soaked position, still wrangling a screaming baby out of the car while trying to not drop the umbrella, "I have no idea, but I called the number on the tag".

So 20 minutes, 2 ticked off kids, one really soaked mommy, and a dog smelling car later, we finally make it inside. That part went amazingly well. J enjoyed his classroom and his teacher. I'm just crossing my fingers he doesn't flip out too badly when I actually leave him there.

Then I get back in the car only to realize my jeans are soaked from the dog sitting in my seat. Thanks, Pepper. All I could do was just laugh hysterically.

Talking back

In our lazy week of sickness, J has endured way too many hours of the Disney channel. In fact, Matt asked me how it came to be that J knew the entire morning lineup of playhouse Disney. Oops!

Some can claim that television is educational and interactive. Sure, you can try to pass it off as such, but let's call a spade a spade. The tv is a way for mommy to get things done, take a nap, check her email, or just sit in silence. Most kids sit through "interactive" tv with glazed expressions while Dora asks "who do we ask for help when we don't know which way to go?" silence "Right! The map. Good job!" silence. I think I can count on one hand, in my 15+ years of childcare, the times I've heard kids actually respond to these interactive questions. Yeah, they sometimes talk to the characters, maybe learn to count or say their abc's, or sing along. But never do they answer the questions.

So it is with shock that I heard James respond to Mickey the other day. It went something like this:

Mickey: Minnie is going to take some soup to Goofy. Can you help Minnie take some soup to Goofy?
J: NO! No, Mickey! I don't like Mickey to say that!
M: Great! Let's take the soup to Goofy.

Apparently interactive tv does not mean that Mickey will respond accordingly. Or maybe Mickey just likes to stay ever cheerful?? Whatever the case, I'm pretty sure that kids can see through the interactive ruse.

Future Lyricist?

J was playing and stumbled upon a forgotten apple he had nibbled on hours before. He belts out the following tune, sung to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle".

Rotten apple
Rotten apple
How I wonder what you are!

Safe and Safe

That's what J called O after "helpfully" covering him up.

Sometimes he can be sweet.

I've been sick yesterday and today. The kind where I can't even manage to get out of bed or keep my eyes open. Needless to say, it's been a boring couple of days for J.

This morning, when he got up, he wandered to our bedroom door. Matt happened to still be home so he came upstairs to say hi to him. He took him potty and brought him to lie down in the bed with me.

After getting settled with a show, J leans over and whispers excitedly to me "guess what?". I'm almost sure I mumbled some sort of response. Then, "daddy give me a kiss AND a hug! Daddy still here and give me kiss AND a hug!" Apparently the highlight of the poor child's day is a kiss and hug from daddy to start the day off right. He was mostly so excited because he's not used to seeing Matt in the mornings.

By lunchtime I could barely function, let alone hold a small baby. So I asked Matt to come home and climbed back in bed. J joins me and asks me to play, I tell him no, I'm too sick but daddy will be home soon. He thinks for a second, then says "Daddy comin' home. He give you a kiss and a hug and make you ALL better!" So sweet.

My heart was melting at that point, but it only got better. He climbed off the bed and wandered away. Next thing I know, he reappears with a book. And he says "mommy, I'm gonna read you a story. It's Go Dog Go!" And he proceeded to 'read' me a story.

Stalling tactics

J likes to stall for bedtime. Lately, he's started telling Matt that he needs to use the potty right when he gets in bed. Matt's getting annoyed because 9 times out of 10, he doesn't actually need to use the bathroom.

The other night, in a moment of pure frustration, Matt told J he wasn't getting off the potty unless he went to the bathroom first. J pretends to try, then looks up at Matt and says: "Daddy, it's not actually working!"

Friends or Foes?

J has seemed to take an interest in O a lot lately. Today he said: I had so much fun playin' with you, baby Oliver! I love you so much.

But before you start saying how sweet that is, maybe I should tell you what "so much fun playin'" actually entails....

First, it's annoying poor baby brother with ill-fitting eyewear.



Then, it's driving cars right at his face (ok, you can't see the car, but I promise it's in his hand).


And finally, it involves moving in such a way that causes poor baby brother to be displaced.


I guess it's not all bad though...


And now you can say Awwww

Sunshine

Although J has been in a big boy bed for 6 months now, he's never actually gotten out of the bed. He still follows the crib rules and calls for us when he wakes up.

Recently, in what must have been a moment of pure baby-kept-me-up-all-night exhaustion, I must not have heard him when he called in the morning. Next thing I know, he's in my room wondering why I have ignored him all morning. Oops!

So now, every morning he gets himself out of bed. It's actually quite nice because it totally reinforces my laziness. Want another 30 minutes of sleeping? No problem, just ask J to grab the remote on his way into the room. Don't judge...we've all done it.

The best parts are his little comments when he comes in. Sometimes he'll say "SURPRISE!!! It's me!" Usually this one is followed by O screaming because he's been awakened by the very loud surprise. But it also makes me giggle. Who else would it be? If someone else is bustin' in my room at 7:30 in the morning, yelling 'surprise' then we might have a problem.

Sometimes he'll peek very quietly around the door, and when he sees me he'll say "Good mornin' sunshine. I love you, mommy!" That just melts my heart. Is there any better way to start the day?!

Sometimes he peeks into the room and can't see me for whatever reason. Maybe I've snuggled too deep into the covers. And then he says "hello? Is anyone here?"

Any of those comments is usually always followed by "Is daddy here today?" and "Can I watch one show?" Sure, just grab that remote and make sure not to talk to me again for 30 minutes.

Question Authority

There is a certain rite of passage that all children go through. One that strikes fear in the hearts of all parents, but is a great accomplishment for children. And that is independence. It starts from the time a baby first learns to use the word no, and basically never ends.

Obviously, toddlerhood is a huge time period of exerting independence. Every day is a constant exercise of "limit pushing" over big and little things. What to eat, what to wear, I want that, no I changed my mind and now I want that, and I changed my mind again and I want the first one, etc, etc, etc....all day long.

It takes a great deal of patience and a whole lot of learning to choose your battles.

But recently, I was faced with a milestone that I wasn't expecting for quite some time. It started out just like any other interaction we might have. J was about to use the potty and wanted his car to sit with him. I said: We can't take our cars on the potty. And then he paused, turned and looked at me, and said: Why not?

Wow. Well this one has an easy answer. Because they might fall in the toilet. But I was shocked and totally unprepared. What happens when the "why not" has a more complicated or abstract answer?

I was hit with it yet again when I told him he couldn't bring his toys to the train store. Why not? Well, because mommy's too tired to deal with keeping up with them. And because mommy doesn't want to deal with tantrums when another kid touches your toys. And mostly because I said no. I'm not so sure he was convinced that one was legit.

On the one hand, I'm not too happy to deal with the latest in independence. On the other hand, surely my child is a genius. What 2.5 year old knows how to correctly use why not? Doesn't why usually precede why not? And where exactly did he learn this anyway? I certainly didn't teach him.

I'm just about ready to call the newspapers and declare him a toddler-Einstein when I tell him to use his indoor voice. His response? Why not?

2 months old and "O" so big!

Our little O is 2 months old :( As I type this, he is taking a nap in his big boy crib. I cannot believe my youngest little guy is 2 months old! It has flown by.

I get weekly emails from babycenter detailing what my baby should be doing in the coming week. This morning, when I checked my in-box, instead of the "your baby is x weeks old" email, I was surprised to find "your baby is 2 MONTHS old"! I was shocked. Sure, I know he's 2 months old, but it just seems so grown up that they switched from counting weeks, to counting months.

I have always loved newborn babies, and I swore that this time I'd treasure every single second. But somehow I found myself wishing he'd get just a bit older. Poor little guy loves being held every second of the day and I keep thinking "if we can only get to 6 months old, this will be easier". And now, here we are a third of a way to that goal and I'm so sad. Where did the time go??

So, here's some information on my 2 month old. He loves daddy. Matt admitted to me that he was worried about that. He was afraid nursing would make the baby too attached to me, and not interested in him. But that's not the case. He loves daddy. His eyes light up when he sees daddy and he's full of smiles.

He loves big brother. Whenever he catches a glimpse of J his arms and legs start kicking wildly, he starts "talking" non-stop, and he's close to giggles.

He loves mommy. He will stop crying the second I hold him and will be calm and content as long as he's in my arms. Admittedly, I sometimes wonder if his love for me is solely based on his need for nursing. But either way, I'll take it :)

Basically, our little guy is just full of love.

He's sleeping 6-10 hour stretches at night (ok, ok...he only slept 10 hours once, but it still sounds impressive if I throw that number in there), still has his dark hair, sleeps in his swing (shh, don't tell our pediatrician), and is somehow napping like a pro! I've got my fingers crossed that this time we'll have a better sleeper.

Not sure on his height, but I am guessing 22ish inches. And our best weight guess is 14 pounds. We need to go stand on a scale an subtract our weight for more accurate results though.

So, Happy 2 month birthday, Oliver. Mommy, Daddy, and big brother are so blessed to have you in our lives.

Love is too big...

J is a very affectionate little guy, always giving kisses and hugs. But when he doesn't want affection, he really doesn't want it. This morning he was trying to play and I bent down to give him a hug and said I love you. He pushed me off and replied: No, mommy, don't love me!

Matt had a similar issue yesterday. J asked for a hug, and Matt gave him what we call a "smooshy hug". Basically a smooshy hug is a really big bear hug. J struggled against Matt and said: No, Daddy! That hug is too big! I only want a baby hug.

Some Oldies, but Goodies

One of the reasons I wanted to start a blog was so that I could document the crazy things J does or says. I know that it's so easy to forget the funny things they do when you get bogged down in day to day life. So I thought I'd take a moment to write down some of the funny things he says/used to say on a recurring basis. Here goes...

1. It's too fit! This one is used when something doesn't fit, is too big, too small, etc. Example: I can't sit on that bike....it's too fit!

2. It's darkin! This one's obvious, but still hysterical. Used to describe a dark room, dark outside, etc. I have a feeling it comes from Matt and I saying "it's dark in there" but he turned it into one word, used always to describe dark.

3. I got a sticky! The word sticky=hangnail in J's dictionary. It causes loads of confusion when a well meaning grandmother tries to wash his hands after he holds his hands up and proclaims "I got a sticky!"

4. I got a bloody nose! Bloody nose=runny nose. This one comes from a random time he had a bloody nose. Now he thinks any time it runs, it's a bloody nose.

5. I'm still poopin'! We laugh hysterically at this one. He uses it whenever he needs to poop. But it cracks Matt up because it makes it sound like he's never stopped pooping.

6. Do you hear any tinkies? Doesn't really need any explanation, but he says it any time he sits on the potty.

7. I not did! Apparently, I'm the only one who understands this one. Most everyone else thinks he's saying 'I not dead'. This one is used whenever you ask him a question and the answer should be no. Example: 'Did you knock this over?'.....'I not did'

I'm sure there are tons more of these, but these are the only ones I could think of right now.

Messy, messy!

I think this image says it all. But yes, it's that kind of a day.





I'm pretty sure at some point before bed last night, my kids had a secret meeting. I really, really wish I had been invited to this meeting because they decided that they'd both make me get up all.night.long. I'd have been the voice of reason, swiftly vetoing this decision. But no, it was a kids only meeting. *sigh*

So, I found myself up all night long. O has been sleeping anywhere from 6-10 hours at night. Usually around the realm of 8 hours. Somehow I must have had a subconscious premonition that last night would be different because I actually went to bed early. And it's a good thing I did. O was up all night fussing/whining/crying. I have no idea what that was about. And J was up for a lot of the night coughing. He still can't catch a break when it comes to his respiratory issues.

On the plus side, both kids have napped exceptionally well today. O is still sleeping and we're pushing close to 4 hours now.

Or maybe that's actually a minus and they're both planning on staying up again tonight.

Lots of wasted food...

I guess I'm used to wasting food by now. Toddlers are well-known for their pickiness. It's just par for the course. But lately, there's a new kind of wasting. J will not eat without first fixing a meal for Woofy, his stuffed dog. Woofy needs his own bowl, spoon/fork, and seat at the table. Luckily, Woofy has yet to ask for seconds.

Chores

Oddly enough, Matt and I both hate the same part of unloading the dishwasher. And that is the silverware. We will leave clean dishes in there forever, crossing our fingers that the other one will break first. We prefer washing by hand any dishes that pop up afterward, just so we don't have to unload it. And it's all because of the silverware. It takes forever to unload! And inevitably the prongs of forks will get tangled in the basket, causing a total traffic jam for spoons and knives as well.

This is why I decided to enlist some help. Afterall, what are kids for if not lifelong servitude?! And what do you know...he actually likes it!! He thinks he's getting to do something "off-limits" and meanwhile I can breeze through the remainder of the dishes.





Sure, some things go in there a bit wonky, but I'm willing to compromise ;)




And don't worry, we take the sharp knives out first.

Jokes

This morning J dropped some food on the floor.

J: We need to go get Layla (dog) back. She can get that food up.
Daddy: Why would Layla want to come back? You're so mean to her.
J: I need her to come back.
D: Layla told me she only wants to come back when O is big enough to play with her and be nice.

J gets a nasty look on his face and slams his fork on the table.

J: Are you kiddin' me?!?

Playin' the odds

It's close to dinner time. Matt is just about to cook. James is whining at me that he wants PB&J. I say no, it's too close to dinner time. So he runs off to Matt.

J: Daddy, I have peedut butter jelly?
Daddy: Go ask your mom.
J: Mommy, I have peedut butter jelly?
Me: Daddy is making dinner. Mommy already said no.

J runs off crying.

J: Daddy...mommy say yes I can have peedut butter jelly.
D: Ok, I'll make it in a minute.

J runs back.

J: Mommy, daddy say yes I can have peedut butter jelly.
M: (rolls eyes)

How is it that I can hear what Matt is saying, but he's somehow deaf to my end of the conversation. Looks like kiddo is eating PB&J for dinner. Man, he knows how to work it.

Riding along

We went to the mall this evening to play in the soft playground. While unloading the stroller, Matt asks me if we need to attach the second seat for J. It's a short walk to the playground so I said "probably not".

J overhears this and says "probly yes daddy! Probly yes, I need that seat for riding"

More

J: Mommy?
Me: Yes?
J: I wanna get 'nother baby Oliver.
Me: You want 2 baby Olivers?
J: Yup!

Smiley