In the news!

Check out Evan at 45 seconds in!! And then again around the 1:30 mark with Mom and Emmett in the background!

Pumpkins, pigs, and slides oh my!

Eric and I went to the pumpkin farm with his preschool last week. He really was a Sugar Pie Honey Bunch :-)

Three months! Right on time!

I have no idea how long I will keep this up, but since I happen to have some blogging time on Emmett's 3 month birthday...here we go.

• Weight: about 18 pounds, so he seems to be slowing down a little bit. Finally. The kid is wearing 9-12 month clothes and has started rice cereal, so I was getting a little worried about how long this gorwth spurt was going to last.

• Sleeping: about 9 hours at night, and not so great with the naps during the day. I am starting to see a little bit of a pattern though, so we'll work on it.

• Personality: he's such a little dude :-) If I prop him up on my lap, he sings and coos and makes all sorts of cute noises and gives these huge grins. His eyes are a gorgeous shade of blue with the longest eyelashes I've ever seen--combine those with a drooly, bubble-blowing smile, and I'm a sucker for whatever he's selling.

• Unexpected things worth mentioning: He LOVES the jumper/exersaucer/whatever you want to call it. I stick a pillow behind his head just to help keep his head straight, but the kid will sit in there kicking and dancing, and just as happy as can be. He is a strong little guy, and I can tell I'm going to be in trouble in another couple of months!!
  

You can be my wingman anytime.

As Evan and I were driving home from school the other day, he was telling me about a new friend he made in the cafeteria. It seems a boy named Cyrus was making faces at a girl named Regan, and Regan kept putting her lunch box in front of her face so Cyrus wouldn't look at her. And Evan kept pushing her lunch box down so Cyrus could look at her.

It won't be long until they break out into song on the playground...sometimes it's good to be a mother of all boys!

Intergalactic

Priorities

The bedtime battles have returned. We are back to the nights of running up and down the steps every 10 minutes, bribing, threatening...one night I actually left the kids with nothing but the fitted sheet on their beds. No pillows, blankets, or stuffed animals. After some discussion, Evan and I identified two key rules, wrote them on a piece of paper, and hung them in their room:

1. Be quiet
2. Stay in bed

Every night, I remind Evan of the rules, usually by asking "what are the rules?" Tonight when I asked him, he started to go into a long rambling spiel about how it's hard to remember and maybe if I moved the nightlight closer to the sign he would remember them. I asked him who the quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles was and--without taking a breath--he rattled off all THREE quarterbacks (McNabb, Garcia, and Vick).

When you have knowledge like that, how can you possibly have room in your brain to remember how to go to sleep at night?

Maybe I'm not to blame

A few days ago I told Evan he could keep a blanket in his kid-sized armchair if he took all the toys out of it. There's a pocket on the back of the chair that I'm sure is intended to hold a couple of books, but apparently it has the same quality as Mary Poppins' carpet bag because here's everything that came out of it:

• Mr. Potato Head
• $1 bill
• McDonalds Happy Meal puppies Fluffy and Otis and Teddy
• Puppy "Sarah"
• Usborne addition thingamabopper
  
• Usborne subtraction thingamajig
  
• Potty book
• Empty photo album
• Jack & Annie book
• card from Grandma
• Picture from friend Sophie
• Transformer
• 11 Hot Wheels cars
• Frog noisemaker

I felt a little guilty after seeing all this, because as crazy neat and organized as I like to be, I also tend to be a little tiny bit of a packrat. It runs in the family though, so that's my excuse, and I figured poor Evan was just another victim of the gene.

And then I looked in Ethan's swim bag because I suspected that Evan's "lost" sunglasses might be in there. Despite the fact that we have not been to the pool in well over a month, here are the contents:

• 3 kids t-shirts (1 for Evan, 2 for Eric)
  
• 2 pairs of Ethan's goggles
• 2 pairs of Evan's goggles
• 2 pairs of kids sunglasses
• 1 pair of Ethan's glasses (no idea how he has been seeing for the past month)
• 1 pair of Ethan's sunglasses
• 1 pretzel stick
• 1 diving stick
• 1 badly smushed bag of goldfish (thankfully there were no bags of fruit!)

So I guess Ethan and I get to share the blame on this one :-)

Two months! Still a little late!

Since the one month update was so much fun, why not do it again?

Emmett:

• Weight: 16 pounds, 11 ounces. The pediatrician believes I am producing Haagen Dazs.
  

• Sleeping: 8 hours at night pretty consistently (woo hoo!). Still not really getting into a daytime nap schedule, but seeing as how he sleeps 8 hours at night, and then goes back to sleep for 2-3 more hours? I don't really care!!
  

• Personality: Not quite as squeaky and grunty, but still a noisy little dude. Loves to be held, but also enjoys hanging out in his swing/chair. He is also handing out the smiles like candy, except when I have the camera out. The he just looks at me with this crooked frown.
  

• Unexpected things worth mentioning: He has amazing neck strength and head control...the doctor made a point to mention that because babies with big heads tend to not be very good at picking up their heads, and Emmett does it like a rock star. You go boy!
  

Jessica:

• Weight: minus 35 pounds. But before you start calling me mean names, I do have the pouch and I'm going to need to do more than laundry to get rid of it. I liked it better after Evan was born when the pouch went away by itself...
  

• Sleeping: Slightly less than what Emmett sleeps at night, which is my own fault. I really need to learn to go to sleep when he goes to sleep!!
  

• Personality: Apparently I'm pretty calm and laid back. A friend called this morning to tell me her son has what they are 95% sure is the swine flu and she said the reason she wasn't totally freaked out about it is because I was so relaxed about the topic when we had lunch a few weeks ago. Silly, but that made me feel pretty good!
  

• Unexpected things worth mentioning: I produce Haagan Dazs. No, I do not give out free samples.
  

My work here is done

Evan has mastered the art of buying lunch at school, but like most activities in his life, he has to find a way to be anal about it. I can call him anal, because he's my kid, not to mention the fact that he probably gets this 'bad habit' from me. I don't think it's a bad habit, but I'm sure it drives his father nuts ;-)

He also rambles a lot, but that could just as easily be blamed on Ethan's genetics.

Anyway!

Evan came home the other day and told me he got a cookie with his lunch, which is an 'extra.' No big deal, I know he eats pretty well, so if he wants to get a cookie with lunch, have at it. He then tells me that, since he got a cookie, he did not get chocolate milk because "that would just be too much chocolate."

Thankfully, Ethan restrained himself from telling Evan there's no such thing as too much chocolate.

One month! (three days late)

Emmett is a month old! I didn't miss the milestone, I just have not had a chance to blog since then :-) So, a month later, here's how things are going...

Emmett:

• Weight: approximately 14 pounds (holy crap, what is this kid eating??)

• Sleeping: 6 hours one blessed night. Average is a singe 4-hour stretch, and 2 hours the rest of the time. But we are making progress on a lengthy (2 hour) afternoon nap!

• Personality: Wants to be held constantly, and loves to look at the ceiling (??). Still extremely squeaky and grunty, to the point that I occasionally call him Wilbur.

• Unexpected things worth mentioning: He outgrew the newborn diapers when he was 6 days old. And then the size 1 diapers & 3 month outfits at 3 weeks. Moved out of the bassinet (due to excessive squeaking/grunting) at just under a month.

Jessica:

• Weight: minus 27 pounds. And constantly hungry/thirsty.

• Sleeping: Slightly less than what Emmett sleeps, and no more naps during the day. I'm just not a good daytime sleeper :-(

• Personality: Delightful as always (just ask my husband)!! Except when Emmett goes on his three hour feeding frenzy from 8-11 PM...

• Unexpected things worth mentioning: hmmm...nothing too exciting. I've gotten used to the 'routine' a little more than I expected and am making a slight dent in my random "to do" list...I am giving my closet a makeover, packed up a few bags of maternity/baby clothes to give away, nothing too exciting ;-)
  

It's not easy being green

I have something to confess. Don't judge me.

We are not a very 'green' family. We don't recycle (at all) and do plenty of other wasteful things. I'm trying to get better about it though.

We have cut WAY down on our paper towel usage since switching to microfiber cloths. I think we used to go through a roll of paper towels in about two weeks...we're on our third roll since buying these things in February. That's a saving of ELEVEN rolls!! Now if only I could get my husband to quit using tissues and napkins to wipe up spills...

I got a recycling bin from our trash company. I'll give you a second to pick yourself up off the floor, for those of you that have come over and put your empties on the counter next to our trash can, only to have me come behind you and throw it into the trash can. Yes folks, I am going to attempt to remember to fill that bin and put it out by the curb once a week and do a little good!!

I have started taking batteries and dead electronics to Best Buy for recycling. The guy at the front door gave me a hard time about it, but the nice customer service lady took my dead hair dryer and worn out electric razor and promised they would in fact be recycled, so at least I know I tried.

I'd like to make the switch to cloth napkins as well, but am having trouble finding napkins that 1) are not the size of a kid's blanket and 2) do not cost a small fortune. Fabkins are really cute, but $20 for a set of 4? It ALMOST inspires me to make them myself! Almost.

So why write a boring blog post on how un-green I am? Because now, when I look at my blog, maybe I will remember to be a little more green. And take the recycling out on Sunday night because the truck comes at like 5 AM on Monday :-)

Twenty things I am tired of saying at the dinner table

To be honest, I didn't have 'twenty' as part of the title when I started this post, but when I realized I could actually come up with 20 things we say at the dinner table on a regular basis, I had to add it. So here it is:

1. Sit up
2. Put your cup where it belongs
3. Use your napkin
4. Use your fork/spoon
   
5. Do not wipe your hands on your shirt
6. Do not wipe your face on your shirt
7. Get your hands off of your feet
8. Get your legs out of your shirt
9. Stop kicking the table
10. Head above the table
11. Fingers out of your mouth
12. Elbows off the table
13. Pay attention to what you're doing
14. Take smaller bites
15. Stop picking at the bread and take a bite
16. Chew with your lips closed
17. Don't talk with food in your mouth
18. Put your arms down
19. No
20. Eat!

I'm wondering if I can turn this into some kind of game to get the kids to break some of these habits? Do other people have these issues? Honestly, we're thinking of leaving them at 'Parents Night Out' at daycare this weekend to be able to eat a meal with OUT saying any of these things!

Summer days driftin' away...

For the first time in a long time, I realized summer is coming to an end. I guess it's because, since college, there really hasn't been any milestone that separates summer 'vacation' from the rest of the year. Even last year, when we moved Evan to a new school, it just kind of floated along (or I blocked out the trauma of taking my oldest to his first day of kindergarten).

This summer was pretty easy, as far as they go. Evan and Eric were co-located, so we didn't have to drop-off and pick-up multiple kids in multiple places. Evan's camp offered swim lessons, so no running around in the evenings/weekends. We didn't really take any vacations, because who wants to spend more time than they have to cooped up in a car with a pregnant lady who constantly needs to go to the bathroom?? So it was a lazy summer, spent by the local pool and in the backyard playing 'ghost ball' (variation of baseball that only requires 2 people).

But the school year is creeping closer...3 weeks from today, in fact. Evan will be a first grader at a new school, both kids will start Sunday school at our church (although Evan goes on Saturdays--how weird is that?), soccer starts, and we're going to attempt to keep the swim lessons going as well, although it will only be once a week during soccer season. Luckily, I don't go back to work quite yet, and when I do it will only be a part-time gig until January.

So enjoy these last few weeks of summer until the chaos begins!

The day (before) you were born

Evan & Eric,

Not to leave you guys out, but you were both born on the day you were 'supposed' to be. Probably the only time Eric has done something on someone else's schedule ;-). I went to the hospital the night before, the next morning my water was broken, drugs/epidural were given...yada yada yada...you were born. So simple, no additional stress, no frantic phone calls. Bags were packed, cameras/phones were charged, cars were where they were supposed to be. It was nice.

Love, Mom



Emmett,

You were determined to do things a little different, and you succeeded. After the doctor's office messed up your original induce date, you decided the newly scheduled date wasn't going to work for you either. July 29th was NOT going to be your birthday, dammit! I went to the doctor the morning of the 27th for the usual weigh-in and belly measurement, and over the 2 hours spent listening to women talk about their high-risk pregnancies, 44-hour labors, epidurals not working properly, hospitals not having private rooms, I'm guessing you decided "enough of this crap, I'm getting out of here!" and so labor began. The nurse in the doctor's office said it was the first time she saw someone start labor in the office, which I find pretty impressive. So away we went to the hospital, where I did NOT tell your dad that the contractions were still coming, because there's a chance he would have run that last red light and your delivery would have been a six o'clock news story.

Once we got to the hospital and the superstar anasthesiologist made all my pain stop? You decided to take a rest as well, and make us think today was NOT going to be the day you were going to be born. So then the doctor came, water was broken, drugs were given, he said it would be a done deal by 9 PM. And 9 PM came and went (if they had done a sonogram, I bet it would have shown a particular finger pointed in the air). At 11 PM, your dad actually went home to get some clean clothes and the cell phone chargers--again, since you decided to do this on your own schedule, we were not as well-prepared as we could have been. Bags were packed, but sitting at home...and my car with all the carseats was conveniently located at the doctor's office.

Finally, a few minutes into July 28th, you decided you were ready. You're certainly handsome enough to be a Monday's Child, but we'll have to wait a little bit to find out why you insisted on being born on a Tuesday instead. The nurse had us do a 'practice push' while the doctor was getting ready, and then yelled at me to stop pushing because apparently you were REALLY ready to come out. Yada yada yada, push push push, and out you came. All EIGHT POUNDS AND FOURTEEN OUNCES of you. Seriously kid, I have my work cut out for me, don't I?

Good thing you're cute.


Love, Mom

Fun with animoto-mation

Another reason my hubby and I are a perfect match...

Conversation after dinner last night...

E: What did you do today?

J: I didn't do anything you told me not to!

E: For the love of...what did you do?!?!?

After a few minutes of running around the house and finding I had re-arranged the closets in the basement...

E: Woman, are you crazy? Why did you re-arrange closets/move a 30 lb case of poker chips/do things a 9 month pregnant woman should not be doing?

J: Why do we have an ice luge kit hiding above the washer and dryer?

E: Sunova!

Five minutes later...

E: So, do you want to set it up?

Let the festivities begin!

Evan graduates from kindergarten this week...factor in some pregnancy hormones and I'm thinking my husband is not going to want to stand anywhere near me during their little ceremony.

The past couple of weeks have been a chaotic mess of spirit days, field day, field trips, and all of the above events being re-arranged because of the weather. And we still need to get through the picnic and graduation.

Today was the spring musical. I was unable to attend, but my hubby did his thing and spent most of the morning at school, and hand-delivered the video camera minutes after it was all over, making him the BEST HUSBAND EVER (until I came home and saw what he did to the laundry, but that's a story for another day). And if you remember the Christmas show, Evan continued his role as the star performer (and I'm really not even exaggerating, see for yourself):

Enjoy!

How do they do that?

I swear my kids can have a growth spurt overnight, or even while they spend the day away from me. Eric was looking much taller the other day when I picked him up, and his shorts seemed a lot looser (more loose?), so I swear he grew a couple of inches at daycare.

Today we went shoe shopping (I should pick a brand of shoes and buy stock in it the way Evan & Eric wear through sneakers), and I was having trouble finding a pair to fit Eric. His last pair was a 6.5, so I thought a 7-7.5 would be the next logical shoe size. I finally took him to the measuring thingy and his big toe was almost touching the 9. We ended up with an 8.5, but seriously--I bought him last pair of shoes three months ago!! Two sizes in three months!! Craziness!!

And yes, I prefer to think my child has feet that magically grew 2 sizes over the past week instead of obsessing about how long he has been running around in too small shoes and maybe that's why he's been such a grump. Also because he has eaten more food in the past 48 hours than the entire week before that ;-)

Proof that my kid can read

Evan is a reading machine...it's great and mind-numbing all at the same time. Great, because he can read signs and stories and even enjoys reading to his little brother. Mind-numbing because he reads the same things OVER and OVER. Like the sign on the door to his school that say "Olivia V., principal of the day, has declared June 1st to be Crazy Hair Day." Or the "Going out of business. 60% off" sign on the furniture store we pass every morning. I could go on, but I won't.

And if you're thinking "sure he can read, he's probably 'reading' the same picture books he's been looking at for 5 years now and just recognizing letters on the signs" then ha!

Last night Evan came up to me and simply said "best sex ever" before heading to the bathroom to take a bath. Somewhat horrified, I then realized this was printed on the cover of the Cosmopolitan magazine I happened to be reading.

I canceled my subscription a few months ago, but stuck the unread issues on a shelf in my closet, just to be safe.

Pregnancy humor (which may only be funny to me)

I feel like I could be my own series of 'Yo Mama' jokes with a pregnancy twist...how pregnant am I? I'm so pregnant...

• I worry about mowing down a 3yo when I pick up Eric from daycare because I can't see the kids under my stomach

• If I need to make a u-turn with a shopping cart in the store, I have to go all the way to the end of the aisle to turn around

• Random strangers offer to load my groceries into my car, even though the heaviest thing I buy is a 12-pack of soda. I'm pretty sure they're going to start thinking I have a pillow stuffed under my clothes, since I'll be this way for another couple of months
  

• I can no longer wear pants...unless they're overalls. Yes, I wear overalls. And dresses. But only because I'm pregnant.
  

• By the time I finish washing my hands after using the bathroom, I could go again (and sometimes do)

• I get excited when Evan is on the playground at pickup time, because then I don't have to put my shoes back on

Pregnancy events to look forward to...taking the elevator to my 2nd floor office and breaking out the laptop bag on wheels!!