Monday, March 30, 2009

Bean-isms

Bean went to Target the other day with Shaun and they picked up a bright pink whisk from the dollar bin for her play kitchen.  She's been carrying it around saying, "This is my whisker!  I have another whisker that's small, but this is my BIG whisker!" 

May she always have kitchen whiskers and keep those that grow on the face far, far away.
_______________________________________________

I was lecturing the girls on why we don't play with outlets or plugs and mentioned that it would hurt VERY much to touch it.  And you might have to go to the hospital.  Etc., etc. 

Bean considered that for a minute, looked up, and then said, "Mama?  If C has to go to the hospital?  She would be very lonely.  And we would be sad."

A brief pause before she continued,

"But baby brother would be very glad that C wouldn't be here to poke him all the time."

Apparently, the things I say stick...  but come up in the wierdest ways.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Saturday Snickerings

This morning, we were planting some seeds in starter cups for our summer garden project and when we were finished, Bean pulled over a potted mum plant that they bought me with the seeds and said,

"Mama!  I think your flowers are thirsty!"

I looked up and answered without thinking,

"Probably not today, Sweetie, I think the flowers are plenty drunk."

Now that's a plant that might be fun at a party. 

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Today's Lunch: Parmesan Fettuccine With Sauteed Veggies

Shaun whipped up this pretty little lunch while Bean and I were out at Target.  I'll request a repeat, for sure.

 
Whole wheat fettuccine with a light dusting of Parmesan cheese.  On top, asparagus, eggplant, red pepper and fresh spinach lightly sauteed in olive oil.  Seasoned with oregano, basil, garlic and a few dashes of cayenne pepper.  It had just enough of a kick to keep my tongue dancing, but not too much, which I appreciated.  Tasty!

The Claw

This morning, I was driving to school with Bean in the back and one of my fantastic former students in the front.  Bean was doing what toddlers do and clamoring to have something that was well out of my reach. Thankfully, Marilyn was able to reach back there and hand her what she needed.

She offhandedly remarked that I needed one of those long sticks with the pincher claws on the end.

Hold on a second there Marilyn, I think you're onto something.

Take a look at this thing:
Currently, these  mainly marketed to those who are either disabled, elderly, or vertically challenged, (like yours truly). 


But think of the possibilities for the parent set! 


Need to reach something in the back of your car to give to the cranky kid?  Fear not!  The Clawminator will solve your reach issues!  Simply cast a glance to the back seat or floor for your precious one's coveted item and let the Clawminator do the reaching.  No more swerving off the road as you attempt to make your arm grow an extra inch!  


Bonus idea!  The Clawminator is a great way to get those toxic diapers in the trash when touching it with your hands just won't do!  The extended distance will keep the offensive odors away from your nose and allow you to throw the diaper away with minimal gagging.  Great for first trimester moms or those with a quick gag reflex!


That doesn't convince you?  Use The Clawminator as an effective behavior modifier!  When your kids are arguing in the back seat, don't threaten to turn the car around!  Simply use The Clawminator to administer that "I MEAN IT" squeeze to your munchkin's leg!  They'll get the idea right quick!


All this can be yours for the low, low price of $19.99!  Call today!



These people have no idea.  They're sitting on a gold mine in untapped target markets. 

Sheesh, they should totally pay me for this.


*Before anyone gets all up in arms about pinching kids or turning around while driving, please note that this entry is firmly in jest.*

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Imagination?

Bean's been on a kick BEGGING me to tell her scary stories.  She usually requests a monster or a "bad man."  She seems to get totally excited about being able to be scared to bits and I like that I can gauge when she's had enough and take the story in a more pleasant direction.

Well, apparently, due to a lovely combination of not wanting to go to sleep at night and an overactive imagination fueled by yours truly, she's come up with some ridiculous excuses for not wanting to go to sleep.

1.  "Mom!  I need something!" 
"OK, like what, kiddo?"
"Like another stuffed animal friend!"
(Because the 47 animals in her bed are not enough)

2.  "MOM!  I see a scary hand!  It's here!"
"Where?"
"Here!  Come in here!"
"Where?"
"Oh, it went home."

and my personal favorite:

3.  "Mommy?  My basket said something weird."
"Erm, what um, did your basket say?"

"Hummenah Hummenah!"

Alrighty then.

(For that last one, I told her to tell the basket to hush because she was trying to sleep.  She did, but asked me to relocate it to the hallway.  Done.  Then?  She went right to sleep).

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Just noticed C has neck rolls again. I never thought I'd be so happy about yet one more place I have to check for mashed food. My chunky monkey's back. :)

Friday, March 20, 2009

Double Trouble

These two are going to get into rounds of trouble together. 


It's a darn good thing they're cute


Though I really think she might get into trouble all on her own.  As for her Daddy?  If she keeps up with this face, I'm sure she'll always be able to get him in there with her. 


And me?  I'm not going to be able to do a darn thing about it.  Cuteness.  I can't resist it.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Food For Thought

C is quite the little spunky spitfire.  Well, actually, she's pretty mellow.  It's only when it involves food or drink that she showcases her independence.  At four months, she decided that she would nurse, but on her terms.  And not enough to do much good for her growth.

That stressed me out.

Then, she decided she'd take a bottle!  And took it well! 

And then.  Then she decided she wouldn't.  Or she'd take an ounce and then violently shove it away and thrash when you tried to give it to her again. 

It stresses me out.

We're working on a sippy cup.  And that's actually going fairly well.  But I'm not holding my breath.  She tends to like to smile at it or hold it suspended over the edge of her high chair before letting it fall to the floor.  So she likes it... but she's not drinking much out of it. 

And as a result of her not drinking, she um...  has some bathroom difficulties.  To put it delicately.

So I've been trying to feed her prunes to er... move things along. 

Except she's adamantly opposed to being fed with a spoon.  My walls near her high chair are starting to show signs of wear from perpetual wipe downs.  You approach the kid with a spoon full of food and she lulls you into a false sense of security with one or two easily received bits.  But then, out of nowhere, stealth ninja C appears.  You nonchalantly approach with the spoon and BAM!  Out flies her fist and the spoon hurtles through the air. 

The girl is a true Miss Independent. 

And one day, she better put it to good use so she can fund my posh retirement facility. 

Because boy, I'll have earned it. 

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Oh Boy!

Hey Little One,

In 20 weeks, give or take a few, you'll be entering the world and immediately providing your Dad with an ally in a house full of estrogen.  (Seriously, two sisters, a mom, and two girl dogs.  Heck, I think the fish are chicks too).

I'm still thinking about my having a boy in a series of exclamation marks to express my shock.  I have a boy!  A son! What on earth am I going to do with a son!  He has boy parts!  BOY PARTS!  How do I deal with BOY PARTS?!

Thank goodness your Dad will be here to explain the last part to you when the time comes. 

I'm a little nervous, truth be told.  I've heard stories of the early years with boys being hard due to the rough and tumble nature that seems to accompany the male sex from birth onward.  I think C is breaking me in for anything that would come my way in that respect.  You might have your work cut out for you in trying to keep up with her.


During the sonogram, I commented how surprised I was that I felt you move so much less than I used to feel your sisters.  Everything is where it should be in there, it just seems that you're a little more mellow than the girls were.  I did watch you pull your foot back and nearly stick it into your own mouth, so perhaps it's just that I need to wait a bit to feel you start the traditional pummeling of my organs.

I questioned whether the magic of seeing my baby on the sonogram screen would lose its wonder being that this is the third time around.  Not at all.  The wonder of knowing that inside of me, right now, you're growing and changing and yawning and stretching is as amazing as it was the first time.  Every one of you has truly been fearfully and wonderfully made.  And the sheer miracle of that alone astounds me every time.

Keep growing, my little one, my boy, my son.

(And maybe, just maybe, keep leaning on the side of mellow?  please?)

Love,

The Crazy Lady Whose Voice You're Perpetually Hearing
(Hope you like it!)

5 Great Uses for a Ziploc Freezer Bag

There are some everyday items that are like transformers:  More than meets the eye!  (Ok, all your 80s kids, try getting that theme song out of your head).  My latest love fest is with the freezer bag.  Here's my top 5 uses for a freezer bag while you're on the go.

1.  An Instant Wet Bag - Everyone's kid has had an accident somewhere at some point.  Whether they miss the bathroom or get sick or even spill their drink, it's supremely nice to have a place to put the wet clothes so they don't stink/gum/dirty everything else up.  (Bonus:  Store a kid's outfit you won't miss much in a ziplock in the car and you'll have a change of clothes AND a wet bag).

2.  Emergency Potty - Sometimes kids have to go.  And go RIGHT NOW.  And sometimes, the nearest bathroom is miles away.  You can either hop out of the car on the side of the road and take your chances with splattering clothes, or you can help out by using this as mini-potty.  Sounds gross, but you can't always get out of the car, so this allows you to let your kiddo go in the car if need be.  Besides, using the bag for this is better than needing the bag for a wet pair of clothes.

3.  Morning Sickness Bag - We all know morning sickness doesn't know when morning is and can strike at any time.  Outside works the best, but some people don't take too kindly to your ralphing on their lawn.  Here's a good second option.  Also works well for kids in car seats if you can't get to the side of the road fast enough.

4.  Waterproof Trash Bag - Empty drink containers are never really empty.  To prevent unwanted leaks all over your car, this is a nice option.  Specifically when you have something that's going to smell later, like milk. 

5.  Stink Container - Most people have had to change their baby in the car.  Sometimes you need a place to contain the stench of a poopy diaper until you've reached a place to throw it away properly.  These do as good a job as anything I've tried.

Any suggestions you've tried?



For more Works for Me Wednesday tips, check out We Are That Family.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

And Survey Says...

Had the sonogram yesterday and the baby looks wonderful, (though BIG!).  Everything was measuring correctly and all in the right place. 

Including some extra stuff that I hadn't seen on my previous babies. 

It's going to be a sweet baby!

A sweet baby boy :)

(Bean is in a bit of denial... when the sonographer announced the sex, she looked up and said, "Um, it's not a boy, it's a girl.  I want another GIRL!"  She's warmed up a bit since then, but that was pretty funny).

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Who Me? Wasn't Me

I definitely didn't give Bean a beater from a batch of whipped cream.



And I definitely didn't give one to C as well.



And I most certainly didn't let them go to town while I took pictures.


No way, not me.


What?  What are you looking at?  Me?  It wasn't me!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Test posting from mobile. If this works? Way, way cool.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Unexpected spring days provide enough of a lift to get me through those days where things don't go exactly right. 

And this face?  This face gets me through everything else. 


She loves being outside as much as we do.  The four of us climbed all over the jungle gym in our local park.


We watched both girls explore and discover and wondered at the absolute change in both of them from nearly a year ago.


Slides and stairs that Bean wouldn't touch as a kid a year ago presented no problem this time around.  C was a cute little lump in a stroller 10 months ago.  Now she's climbing all over everything.


No matter how many kids I have, I'll never get tired of watching them grow from wee little babies into sweet little kids. 


With a remarkable ability to wrap themselves tighter around my heart with one facial expression.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Fuzz Factor

Bean is fascinated with two things lately.  Her daddy's freshly buzzed head and freckles.  She likes to sit on Shaun's lap and rub his head after he gets a haircut.  And she likes to see people's freckles. 

A certain person, who shall hereby be called Wobin, was hanging out with Bean one night and Bean asked if Wobin had freckles.  Wobin showed her the ones on her arms and on her face.  Bean asked if Wobin had freckles on her legs.  So Wobin pulled the cuff of her pant leg up and said, "Yup, right here". 

Bean reached out her hand to touch the freckles and pulled back suddenly and said, "Woah, Wobin, your legs feel like Daddy's head!" 

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Scrunchy Nose

I think this kid is well on her way to having a cache of dramatic facial expressions like her big sister. 


This one is my favorite.  What's not to love?

Thursday, March 5, 2009

My Oldest's Most Favorite Animal Ever

Check this out:


That, my friends, is a pink dolphin.  The result of albinism, the dolphin has a lovely rose hue through its whole body.

Check out the story here

(Picture originally posted within the story on The Telegraph)

C Update - 10 Months

Dear C,

Hey big ole 10 month old!  This past month I think you've changed more than any of the other months combined.  You're getting all sorts of rolls again, which absolutely delights me.



(It also provides you a few extra places to hide your cheerios).

You're starting to talk a lot more, which is pretty awesome.  So far we have "Mama," "dog," "uh-oh" (particularly when she drops something completely on purpose.  It's a good thing she's cute), "el-o!" (Often said holding something to her ear like a phone, "hello!"), and "bye!"  I love watching you discover how to make sounds and delight in how those sounds make words.

 
You're pulling up on everything and cruising all over the place.  On several occasions, you've used my legs to stand up and stayed up on your own for a few seconds before plopping down again.


 

You're consistently sleeping through the night (FINALLY!) with only one waking and that's recently been because you're sick.   I can't even begin to tell you how amazing this makes me feel.  Except for the first few days, my body didn't know what to do with itself and I totally felt worse than when I wasn't getting sleep.  Weird, eh?
 
You put EVERYTHING in your mouth.  Every-Thing.  Lately, if I catch you about to put something in your mouth that shouldn't be there,  I can call your name and you usually hand it to me instead.  Small blessings, considering some of the things you get your hands on.  Why do I need a vacuum, I have you!


 

You still prefer me to anyone, though your Daddy is a very, very close second.  I love that you'll snuggle up to him just as easily as to me, most times.  I can't say he complains about it either :)
 
(I promise she's FINE in this pic.  Shaun was taking some pics of our slings and wraps for a future post and caught me mid-placement (mid-wrong-placement, actually, but that's neither here nor there).

I still can't believe you're so close to being one.  And walking.  And getting into things.  Eek!


Stay silly, Second Born.  Love you always,


Mama

Shaun's Lunch

Shaun fixed himself quite a pretty lunch the other day.

 
Broccoli, asparagus and jalapeño sauteed in a pan with a smidgen of olive oil.  Then, some kidney beans and fresh tomato.  A bit of salt and pepper to top it off and... lunch!
Except that the jalapeño was so stinkin' hot that poor Shaun had to sweat his way through the bowl.  
Don't doubt his tastes though, he loved every minute. 

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Anything To Get Them To Eat Their Greens

My oldest does a good job of eating a vast variety of veggies. C's a bit pickier. So I try to be creative in presentation and sometimes it actually works.

Yesterday, I made a "green" smoothie* and accidentally dropped some ingredients on the floor. I started cleaning up but got sidetracked by a kid who needed help in the bathroom "RIGHTNOWRIGHTNOW!" and a baby who wanted DOWN from the high chair.

I put C on the floor, picked up my smoothie and sat down for a minute. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed C making a beeline to the corner of the kitchen but didn't think anything of it until I saw her pick something up and cram it into her mouth.

"C!" She looked at me, grinned and picked another thing up off the floor and ate it.

As I got closer to stop her, I noticed that she was picking up pieces of frozen spinach.

And yes, when I saw that? I admit. I hesitated on stopping her. Because really, GREEN FOOD! And wasn't this just a unique presentation? Hehe.


**(A green smoothie is a fruit smoothie with a few handfuls of spinach thrown in. You can get a considerable amount of spinach into the smoothie with absolutely no taste change whatsoever. Seriously! Give it a go if you need to get some greens in your kiddos. Or if you want to add a little healthiness to your own day).

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Bottoms Can Have Preferences Too

I was sitting in a chair, trying to get a few things accomplished while the little one was sleeping and the big one was supposed to be playing.

But Bean was having a hard time finding something to do, (why do we have all of these toys again?) and I gave her the options of sitting on the couch to read or sitting on the floor to play.

"But Mama! My bottom doesn't want to sit on the sofa or the floor! My bottom wants to sit on YOU!"

Alrighty then.

Must Be Dreaming, Right?

Last night I put the kids down early to bed and they were both out within minutes. I smiled to myself and though, "Hmmm, tonight might actually grant me a good night's rest."

My peaceful dreaming was uninterrupted at 1:15am when a pair of little eyes peered at me in the dark, "Mama? Mama? I'm COLD!" And bleary eyed, I pulled her between Shaun and I and tucked covers all around her. (Her room is by far the coldest in the house at night). She rolled to her side and nestled her back against me. But apparently that wasn't close enough, so she rolled back over and nestled into the crook of my arm.

That lasted for about 11 seconds. Each successive position was deemed unsatisfactory and she thrashed around for what felt like an hour before I sat up and said, "BEAN!" Apparently, she was thrashing in her sleep because she was utterly confused as to why I was shouting her name. Resettled, she actually stayed still for more than 5 minutes. Success.

I drifted off to sleep only to be awakened a mere hour later by Miss C and a cough that signaled the arrival of the dreaded croup. I rushed in her room and picked her up to see if she'd relax enough to stop coughing. No dice. So we trotted into the bathroom and turned the hot water on high. The heat lamp cast a soft red glow through the room and her cough immediately settled with the steam got thick. She was the calmest, cutest croupy baby I'd ever seen. She'd lay her head on my shoulder and coo and when something would catch her attention, she'd pop back up then pat my face and grin. Super sweet.

A quick bottle to hydrate her and she was back to sleep within 45 minutes.

I crawled back under the covers and tried to turn my brain off enough to sleep.

Dozed off.

Back to thrashy-ville.

Then back to croup-land.

And back to thrashy-ville.

On the surface, it was a horrible night of sleep. Actually, it was a horrible night of sleep no matter what way you look at it.

But.

Motherhood is most certainly not all spring and roses. The only thing that keeps me sane after nights like those are realizing that there are those moments within the madness that make it all worth bearing.

Like Bean's sweet scented head nestled under my chin. Or C's hands reaching for me when I walked into the room to get her. Bean telling me, "Mama, you're WARM!" and nuzzling closer. And C's sweet smile every time she would look up to check that I was still looking at her. (She likes the attention... just a smidge).

I can take care of munchkins, no matter when it happens to be. And if I look at it the right way, I can do it with a smile and a feeling of contentment, knowing I'm right where I'm supposed to be.

Besides, all this nighttime care should earn me a killer retirement home sponsored by the kids, right?

Monday, March 2, 2009

Snow Day

We are in the midst of a lovely snow storm. (It's still falling!) Anyway, we're enjoying our time together as a family so I'll be back to my bloggy normal-ness tomorrow :)

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Time Lapse of 9 Month Old Toy Tornado

This is super cute.  Having a 9 month old, (woah, nearly 10 months!), I know what kind of chaos they can create.  But really, watching them discover things is a pretty amazing experience.  I say this guy has it easy though..  add the skills of pulling up and cruising to rolling and spreading toys out like a maniac and you've got a mess in half the time.

Anyway, enjoy!

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