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!!

Oh Happy Day

I'm not even going into my lack of blogging. It is what it is.

I had a wonderful Mother's Day today though. Evan and I went to the Orioles/Yankees game in Baltimore and had an absolute blast. Ethan and Eric stayed home, because the little man just would not have had the patience to spend all day watching a baseball game, but he'll get there. So while I'm a little bummed I didn't get to spend Mother's Day with all of my boys, I'll get over it as I remember the awesomeness that was the baseball game.

This? Is the view of first base from our seats. FROM OUR SEATS PEOPLE!!! I didn't even have to stand up to take this picture, and it was from my little point-and-shoot camera that does NOT have a super-duper zoom lens on it.

Evan's favorite, #21, Nick Markakis
Did I mention we took these pictures
FROM OUR SEATS?!?!

An autograph from Dave Trembley...
we didn't even have to leave our seats

Evan and The Bird
(Momma Bird was also there, which was kind of funny)

Seriously, it was an awesome day, and I realize the non-baseball/Orioles fans will not appreciate it half as much as I did, but that's okay. We saw foul balls whiz past us, heard the clap of the ball when it hit the first baseman's glove, saw all the action that takes place in a run-down (too bad we got out because of it), and experienced baseball up close and personal. Hopefully I can live with going back to the 'cheap seats' after a day like today :-)

And, not to be left out, my goofball at home :-)

2 steps forward, 2 steps back

Why must parenting be so hard??

Eric made some excellent strides in potty training today. No accidents, and he actually went to the bathroom as opposed to just holding it in all day and then going when he finally gets a diaper on at nap/bedtime. AND he went on the potty at home which is a flipping miracle. Life is good, right?

Sadly, we are going to have to go back to having the boys in separate rooms for a while. Despite the '21 days to form a habit' theory, no good habit is being formed and it's been waaaay more than 21 days. The only way to get Evan and Eric to go to sleep in the same room at a decent hour without injury is for Ethan or I to sit in the room until they both fall asleep. And we have better ways to spend ~10 hours a week. So unless someone has a brilliant plan, Eric will go back to the 'baby' room tomorrow night, which is sad and pitiful because we already put the toddler bed away and essentially he'll be sleeping on a tiny little crib mattress while there's a nice big-boy bed in the next room over. But the boys need their sleep and us parents need our sanity.

And can I express my disappointment in the internet and its lack of help in the room-sharing crisis? I know Eric is the 'spirited' child, but I can't be the first person to put a feisty 3 yo in a bedroom with his 5 yo brother, can I? But if you google things like "sharing room" all you get is people putting an infant and a toddler together, or people wondering if it's wrong to have a boy and a girl share a room. Internet, how can you let me down in my time of crisis??

I have NO idea where he learned this one...

I was taking Evan to school this morning, which requires a u-turn on a relatively busy road. We had to wait a few minutes for the cars to break and let us through, which is always a pain because clearly it would kill people to wait the 8 seconds it takes for me to make a u-turn when the only thing they accomplish by NOT letting me go is to get to a red light faster, but I digress. Where was I? So the cars finally stopped, but only because there was no road left between the intersection and the red light, and we made our turn. As we go past, Evan says:

"THANK you cars for NOT stopping to let us go through." And then tells me "Mom, I'm not really thanking them, because they weren't being very nice to us. Like last night, when a car was beep-beep-beeping and I said 'THANK you car for making that NICE beeping noise.'"

I have no idea where he could have learned sarcasm at the ripe old age of 5 1/2. Because, CLEARLY I would never make comments like that ;-)

All I wanted was some nasal spray...

After yet another night of not sleeping too well because of the clogged sewage system that is my sinuses, I called the doctor. I just wanted to know if there was something I could spray into my nose that will let me breathe so I can sleep. Really, that's all. Just something a little stronger than saltwater to help me breathe.

The nurse yelled at me to get my tail home and into bed and drink fluids until I could handle no more. Ok, maybe she didn't really yell and she did ask some questions first, but after hearing the answers (fever, kids were sick, I was at work), she very sternly told me to go home and asked where to send the doctor's note.

So I'm home, at least through tomorrow, when I will go to the doctor and let them confirm that my head is congested and maybe they should let me take something to clear it out. And I figured I better not do anything more strenuous than watch TV and play on the computer until then because the mean nurse might have some sort of spy cam on me to make sure I'm following her orders.

And I'm not really all that impressed by the movie 'Juno'

Ketchup...again

I'm so far behind, I'm not sure I can get away with just catching up, but you gotta start somewhere.

Our house survived a near disaster about a month ago when a pipe burst in our neighbor's basement and flooded into our basement. It was right before St. Patty's Day, so I figure we must have found a leprechaun somewhere and the fact that we have a hole in a storage closet, a beautifully cleaned carpet, and didn't pay a dime out of pocket must have been the pot of gold reward.

Baby #3 is healthy and well, and also a boy. Evan spent the next couple of days asking if maybe it will turn into a baby sister, but it's amazing how a couple of McDonalds happy meals can make him think that another little brother isn't such a bad thing.

Eric turned 3 a few weeks ago. I'm a horribly bad mother and have no pictures to mark the day, but technically his birthday party isn't until this weekend, so I'll make up for it then. We had high hopes that turning three would magically rid him of the terrible two's, but I think I would have had better luck wishing for Santa Clause to slide down our chimney with a sleigh full of presents. But he has been sick for most of his 3yo life (more on that later), so we're trying to cut him some slack.

We took a brief vacation to Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg, which was a blast for kids and grown-ups alike. Eric went down the little water slide at least a hundred times, and based on the grin on his face and the light in his eyes, every time was like the first time. Evan was tall enough to enjoy most of the rides in the waterpark (with dad's help), and there were plenty of 'dry' activites to keep everyone happy. I'm not sure if Ethan's favorite part was the fact that you could drink beer while in the waterpark or the Starbucks/ice cream shop located in the hotel. It was a great trip.

And now I'm sick. Eric got sick right before we left Great Wolf, but seeing as how he could get sick in a bubble, I can't really blame it on the waterpark. Add spring allergies into the mix and most of the house is pretty miserable. So today I am relegated to my bed with crappy daytime TV and the hope that sleep and Tylenol will make all my troubles go away.

And the 'Best Actor' award goes to...

Evan Sanderson!

For his dramatic performance in "I Have a Splinter in My Hand"!

Evan was outside yesterday afternoon while I was cooking dinner, playing tennis. And by playing tennis, I mean he was hitting every ball he could find over the fence and then complaining because I would not let him go get them. At some point, he started hitting the balls onto the deck, so he'd come up the stairs to get them and then head back down, sliding his hand along the wooden railing, which is where the splinter enters the picture.

There are no tears or panic until I tell him I need tweezers to dig the half-inch piece of wood out of his hand.

"Not the tweezers, they won't work!"

"OWWWW!!"

"Maybe you should try pulling on the other side of the splinter"

(my personal favorite) "Do you think I'll still be able to hold the racket in my left hand?"

And after he held still and stopped talking long enough for me to get the splinter out, the pain and tears started. But only after I asked him to finish setting the table. And he was magically cured with an ice pack and the promise that he could still go swimming last night.

Parenting Solutions

I took a class not to long ago and they said it takes 21 days to establish a habit. Clearly this rule does not apply to children under the age of 6 (maybe older, but I have no proof of that). Every day before nap/bed time, I remind Evan and Eric to STAY IN BED and BE QUIET and GO TO SLEEP. Seems easy enough, right? They always agree with me and sometimes even say the words before I do. I'm pretty sure they understand.

Yet, no sooner do I put my foot on the first step to go downstairs, I hear a squeal or the thump of someone's feet (I hope) hitting the floor. So four seconds after leaving the room, all 3 'rules' have been broken. Then Ethan and I have to trade off going in and reminding them that they are supposed to be in bed, quiet, and sleeping. It's not fun. There must be a better way.

Here are my ideas so far--any takers?

1. Some sort of watch/anklet that reminds them to "be quiet!" as soon as they start talking/squealing.
2. An invisible fence that reminds them to "get back in bed!" as soon as they try to climb down.
3. One of those posters/paintings of me with my 'evil Jessica' face (as Ethan calls it) that looks like it's always watching you.

And I realize #1 and #2 sound dangerously similar to what you would do to a dog, but nowhere in there did I suggest an electric shock. I'm just saying, in case you were thinking it ;-)