Capture the Everyday: My Favorite Home Feature

Boy, Melissa over at Adventuroo must have read my mind with this week's assignment! MY husband & I just completed a serious backyard project - there are LITERALLY blood, sweat & tears that went into this thing - but it has been just perfect timing with this weather!

This combines a few of my favorite things about our fairly new house (moved in last year) - the new patio, the sun porch & the wooded backyard. (Side note - the chairs actually have cushions, but were put away before last night's rain...)

Everyone's Losing Weight & Guess Who's Finding It!

Bean had her 6 month visit this morning, and I had a feeling she was going to come up tiny on the charts - here's where we stand:

Weight: 13 lbs, 14 oz - between 10th-25th percentile

Height: 24 3/4 inches - between 10th-25th percentile

The doctor said to just keep doing what we are doing for now, feeding & schedule wise, and they'll check on her again in a month to see if we need her to gain more weight. I went through the same thing with my son...ugh.

In addition to my daughter being slim, a neighbor commented the other day that our Lab was looking thin & she wondered if he was sick. After taking a second look at the dog, it occurred to me that several people mentioned he was looking thin lately. I took him to the vet yesterday, only to find out he has lost about 17 lbs in 7 months. We switched dog food about that time, and apparently he needs to be eating more of it. At this point they are ruling out any major health problems since he is as healthy & perky seeming as ever - just starving apparently.

And to top it all off, my husband put on a pair of pants this morning that we bought for him just a year or two ago - wouldn't you know it, they were as baggy & loose as ever. Need I say more? I'll just be shuffling back down to the scale, which I keep in the depths of my basement, only to see that it has not moved in weeks from my current weight. Apparently Mama is the only one getting fed around here - sorry folks!

My Friday Frills - Installment 5

Wow! These past two weeks have really flown by, but here we are again at the end of another week. We have been building a flagstone patio this past week, lugging each & every piece of stone into the backyard. There was a stone the other day as big as the hood of my car, so needless to say my arms & back are taking a beating. We are really looking forward to enjoying it this weekend though - we are in the homestretch!! Here is what has made those sore muscles more bearable this week:

1. Baby Portraits: I am fortunate enough to have a few photographer friends that have captured some beautiful shots of my children over the past few years. I have their work hanging all over our house, and truly

enjoy it every day. However, the other day I felt the need to drop into the $9.99 portrait studio for a few shots of the Bean at 6 months. She is so smiley these days, so I felt like the pictures could be pretty cute.

3. Impromptu Dance Parties: With the boy's naps becoming more & more scare these days, it is nice to have a way to get out some of that extra energy at the end of the day. I have been enjoying the workout as well! Our current favorite dance song - Justin Bieber's Never Say Never - don't lie, you know you love it as much as we do ;)

3. A Good Laugh: Do you ever get in one of those moods & just start looking on the Internet for a funny video that has been mentioned by someone and the next thing you know you are looking up every hilarious clip you can think of? My husband & I did this the other night, and ended up watching this video again which I still think is hilarious (big fan of Chris Parnell).

There you have it! Here's to a great weekend!

Capture the Everyday: Your Child's Favorite Toy

Another Thursday to participate in Adventuroo's weekly photo assignment. Today's task was your child's favorite toy. This was easy for us - for Bean, it is the Exersaucer, since it is her latest & greatest discovery and a chance to use her new 6 month old skills.

For the Monkey, it has always been his stuffed animals (well, really his "soft blankie" but I suppose that's not really a toy...) - yes, he does sleep with all of these. They also get to take turns playing a variety of games with him, or participating in everyday activities such as eating breakfast, watching a show or going for a ride in the car. Most of them also have names :)

Want to participate? It's easy - head on over to Adventuroo to link up!

Stream of Consciousness Sunday: It All Goes By So Fast

This is my first time doing this, but I actually had 5 minutes to myself this morning so I thought - what the heck! I love to read all of these, so here goes!

As I sit here typing, I can hear my husband down in the basement with my son, teaching him how to ride his first "big boy bike." Funny story behind the bike, and I'll try to keep it short. Rewind to about 3 years ago, when the boy was roughly 6 months old. Hubby & I went to a bike shop with our bikes, hoping to trade them in for some cash towards new ones. Turns out they weren't as valuable as we thought, and the credit wouldn't go far towards a brand new bike from the bike shop. So, there we stood with our $125 credit, wondering what in the world to get from this bike shop. Then I spotted them - the kids bikes! And wouldn't you know, they were $125.00. I was never planning on spending that much on my child's first bike, but with a credit in hand, we decided to get one for the boy & save it. (Funny side note, as we were making the transaction, my son's pediatrician walks in...I had to explain why we were buying our then 6 month old son a brand new bike for a toddler...)

So, long story short, we have had the bike in an attic or basement for years - and now he is downstairs riding it. It always seemed like it was going to be such a long time before he fit on it. Excuse me while I go wipe a few tears away.

This is my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post hosted byallthingsfadra.com. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes only.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.
• Publish it

Capture the Everyday: What's On Your Nightstand

I'm am loving this little weekly challenge from Melissa over at Adventuroo! This week's assignment? Capturing a picture of what lies on your nightstand. Already a sore subject with me - I have no "nightstand," only my dresser, which is next to my side of the bed. I have been wanting a new set of bedroom furniture for about 8 years now, but alas other things always come up. Until then, here are the contents of the "nightstand portion" of my dresser - enjoy!

- a note from my son telling me that he found a penny on the floor of his room & wondered if it could go into his piggy bank (but I'm sure you got all that just from reading the note - you can translate "toddler," right?)

- the Kindle that I gave my husband for his birthday a year ago, which he quickly replaced with the iPad. I was happy to call it my own and am currently reading 'The Help'. Attached to it is the book light I use every night - he can't sleep with the light on, and I am a bit of a night owl

- my iPhone, which I keep handy for when I can't sleep & use to keep up with baby's eating & sleeping schedule

- my baby monitor, which I just keep on for the video screen, no sound. We sleep with our door cracked open, or I would never sleep with that thing so close to my head

- my cup of water

- my "bible" - Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, which I refer to quite often, even with #2

- the stack of magazines that I keep telling myself I will read soon - appears I have some serious catching up to do

- the TV & Apple TV remotes

And there you have it! What's on your nightstand? Head on over to Adventuroo to link up!

My Friday Frills - Installment 4

So, I missed last week because we ended up going out of town for a few days. Here's what's been on my list for the past two weeks - TGIF!

1. The Beach House: I am lucky enough to have in-laws with a

beach house that they so kindly let us frequent. With some of the warm weather we have been having, I am so looking forward to spending many Spring & Summer weekends down there. Monkey is at the age where he is really excited about it as well, and has taken to both the ocean & the boat (and more importantly, the

life jacket because there was a time when we thought we could never boat again with the tantrums that ensued when putting that blasted thing on!!). I have so many memories from growing up of spending time at the NC beaches, so I look forward to creating some with my kids.

2. Swim Lessons: Oh, my son will learn to swim this Spring - he has no choice :) I say that jokingly because the thought of managing two children at the pool who cannot swim is a bit overwhelming at this point! Swim lessons start next week at the YMCA - this will be his first time with a group lesson, which I actually think will suit him better than the private ones he took this past summer. He loves the water, just hates putting his face in - We'll see how it goes...

3. Top Chef All-Stars: Have I mentioned how much I love this show? And, it's just a bonus that this season it has all of these wonderful past chefs on it. It is what I look forward to watching most during the week - I seem to always walk away from it feeling inspired, and somehow I manage to create at least one excellent dinner a week because of the inspiration. Do you watch? I'm rooting for Carla or Richard.

Capture the Everyday: Something You Can't Live Without

Thanks to Melissa, over at Adventuroo, I have another reason to try to blog at least once a week! This week's challenge - capture something that you can't live without. I'm pretty sure the photo below needs no explanation, and if I had to guess I would say a few more like it may grace today's posts for the Challenge!

Head over to Adventuroo to link up & participate!

My Friday Frills - Installment 3

Coming up with this list this week has seemed exceptionally hard - just been one of those weeks, you know? I'm totally ready for it to be warmer out, and some of these nice days have been a real tease.

1. My New Bed: We recently purchased a king sized bed, and I haven't looked back since! It has been so nice having the extra room - it's practically like having a Tempurpedic the way it doesn't move when the hubby gets in & out of bed. There's plenty of room for snuggling with kids, on those mornings when you just aren't quite ready to get up yet, and for my 6 foot hubby to stretch his long, long legs!

2. Little Girl's Bathing Suits: Why are they so darn cute? I have purchased 5 bathing suits for the Bean, and it's not even close to summer yet! In my defense, I have found that all the time we spend at the beach can really do a number of bathing suits, so I suppose it's good to have variety. Oh, who am I kidding - I really just like the idea of having something cuter than boy's bathing trunks! Here was a favorite purchase thus far - got a similar one for Monkey & we have loved these for the boat at the beach. Let's face it, when your kids are as pale as mine, you need all the SPF you can get!

3. Morning Coffee: I have come to terms with the fact that I simply cannot live without it. Lately I have been trying a few varieties from Trader Joe's, and with a hubby that isn't picky it makes it nice to switch things up a bit. Ironically, I ran out of coffee this morning and am home alone with a sleeping baby so mama will just have to wait to get her fix...

My Friday Frills - Installment 2

Here's what has made my life easier or more enjoyable this week:

1. Free Time with the Bean:

I forgot how carefree life seemed with one child, and especially with one baby - all the things we used to get done!! Dad took the Monkey for some much needed "guy time" yesterday, and Bean & I just strolled around the mall, ran errands & just laid around & played together. It was nice to have some alone time to enjoy all the new things she's doing at 5 months!

2. Self Control:

This week I have made the decision to try to finally lose some of this baby weight. Let's be honest - as much I have have enjoyed my love affair with ice cream each evening, swimsuit season is

creeping in. Last summer it was a nice excuse to be pregnant & not have to worry about fitting into summer clothes. I have one good week under my belt of trying to just be more conscious of what I am putting into my mouth - damn if it isn't hard though!

3. Smiley Faces:

Monkey is finally showing his crafty side & been sitting with me

at his table in the playroom to draw. He comes to me throughout the day with little surprises & pictures - some of which leave me guessing, and others which are getting easier to figure out. This was a recent favorite that I put up on my side of the bed to make me smile in the morning.

Owls & Birds & Cowboys, Oh My!

I can't even begin to tell you how long overdue this post is - it has been sitting in my box of posts to edit for quite sometime now. The baby is sleeping & daddy has taken the Monkey off for an adventure this afternoon, so here I sit trying to get this out!

I'll start with the boy's room - I am the type of person that will find one thing that I like, fixate on it & then have to decorate an entire room around it. Now that I have put that out there, you'll better understand my thinking for both of my children's rooms. It all started with this fabric I liked, called "Johnny & Buck" - did I mention I found it, and then found out it was discontinued? My obsession for things that are discontinued is almost as great as my previous obsession I mentioned. When told I cannot have something, it then must be mine! Okay, back to the fabric - I found this fabric online & was able to order the last bit of it to make a crib skirt, throw pillow & put some in the back of a bookcase. Well, now that Monkey is 3, we have moved on to a big boy bed, but I still wanted to be able to use the same themes & fabrics so as not to change everything out. Here's what I came up with...

The room now sort of has a camping/cowboy theme - his night light lantern & vintage "W"

A rope mirror that I found at Pier One Kids when it was going out of business -

added my own rod iron antique stars from a flea market

Curtains made by my sister in a ticking red & cream -

cowboy fabric in the back of the bookcase (pardon the mess :))

The fabric that started it all!! Both of my children's gliders came from the thrift store - at different times, and they happen to be the same brand! Paid $30 for each, then had the cushions recovered at a local upholstery place with fabric I bought at Not Just Linens.

An antique lamp my Mom had lying around seemed to fit in with the curtain rods. The rope name was another online find that I thought went well with the theme for the room.

The Monkey! Don't ask me how he sleeps amongst this mess, but somehow it happens!! The wall bookshelf has been a lifesaver for keeping things out of the bed.

Hmm...some days this is doubtful ;)

Now for the Bean's room. I'm not the girliest girl out there, and I knew two things - I didn't want a pink room, and I didn't want to have to buy too many things. The theme for her room started about a year ago - I was at a local craft fair, and found these adorable handmade owls. My sister even said right then & there "You're going to plan the baby's whole room around those owls, aren't you?" - ahh, she knows me too well. There is a lot more owl stuff out there now than there was about a year ago, but I knew again that I wanted it to sort of be a mish-mash of things I could collect from different places. Here's what I came up with:

Found these pink curtains at Pottery Barn Kids & thought they were a good deal.

The mobile was my son's, and the print was a find at Target.

I found these book ends to put inside the shelf on a random trip to Home Goods - at $4.99 each, I couldn't resist!

This cute lamp was another Target find!

This quilt was sort of an impulse buy for the room - may have been the most I spent on anything, but I thought it made for a cute & large wall decor piece. (There's the Bean's feet!!)

The owls that started it all!!

A mobile that I found somewhere online & was given as a gift, a crib bumper donated by my sister, and a sheet again from the Pottery Barn collection. It didn't make the photo, but the crib skirt is a twin blue & white checked bed skirt that I cut down to fit the crib - it was $10 at PBK!

A vintage mirror that belonged to my grandmother - it seemed like a nice girly touch!

My Friday Frills - Installment 1

In the spirit of trying to blog more often, I have decided to at least try to post something of substance each Friday. This post will typically be things that I have enjoyed this week, that have made my life easier, or that I simply must share with readers. Here goes...

1. Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Lavender Scent All Purpose Cleaner*

My husband & I have slowly been trying to make the switch in our house from chemically loaded products to those that are a bit gentler on our family & our household. I LOVE Mrs. Meyer's products & have always used both the dish soap & hand soap (side note - simply cannot be around the Basil scented one though - lived for it before I got pregnant with #2, now the smell just throws me over the edge for some reason) but recently started using the All Purpose Cleaner all over the house, and more importantly to clean some old baby toys & play things that I have been pulling from the attic. With a baby that is currently putting EVERYTHING in her mouth, its nice to know that I can clean with something a little less harmful.

2. Southwest Branch of the Durham Public Library

This newly renovated branch of the library opened up again back in May, and I couldn't be happier. I'll admit I have a soft spot in my heart for the place - it was where Monkey took his first steps! Miss Margaret was showing the kids a puppet at story time, and he just took off across the carpet to get a closer look - even she remembers it! He still loves going to the library to pick out music, movies, books & especially puzzles! The shelves of books for the kids are arranged in a way that small children (for better or worse) can easily access them & make their selections. They even have a kid-sized self check-out so that I can have some help getting all the books scanned. In just a few months, Bean can start story time there, and I look forward to seeing her enjoy the place as much as her brother & I have recently.

3. Downton Abbey on PBS

This new mini-series has totally been my escape for the past few weeks. Created & written by Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park), it takes place in & around 1912, and has such a great story line. It's an hour & a half each Sunday evening, commercial free. If I don't have the time to sit down for the whole thing on a Sunday night, I will save it up over the course of a week for when the kids are napping. I'm not sure how long it will last, but I know I will certainly miss it when it ends - one of the best shows you may not be watching on TV. (Right now, I am fairly certain you can watch full length episodes online to catch up)

*As a blogger, I must tell you that I was not compensated in any way to make these comments about Mrs. Meyer's - just truly love the stuff!

A Letter to My 3 1/2 Year Old Son

Dear Monkey,

Over the holidays we were holding hands to cross the street somewhere, and I noticed something that really struck a chord with me. Your little hand was actually quite rough & calloused, I suppose like that of an active little boy. And it hit me - when did you get so big?

With your sister around these past few months, time has been flying. I haven't had as much time as I used to to stop & just take it all in. But I have a secret to tell you - sometimes in the evenings, when I finally sit down for some free time, I like to get on the computer & look at old pictures of you. Nothing makes me happier than to see how much you have grown, and to remember all the good times we had when it was just you & me.

Our days are certainly a lot more hectic now. I don't tell you enough, but I want you to know that you are an excellent big brother - I love to see your nurturing side come out when you are around Bean. She's lucky to have you, and so am I.

When I reflect back on those old pictures, and all of our good times as a pair, I get excited for what the future holds for you, your sister & me - a new trio. I also want to thank you, for making me the mom that I am. Those 3 years alone with you really shaped who I am in my new "career," and I love you more & more each day. Just in case I forget to tell you...

Mom

Wordless Wednesday: Wish I Were Here

They Grow Up So Fast

Crazy as it may seem, the Bean has already gained almost 5 lbs since birth! Couple that with the fact that we are coming up on her 3 month birthday and once again I am a wreck...

Last night I actually started to get a little choked up when I was nursing her & suddenly realized that her feet were starting to hang off the edge of the Boppy. Just as I was thinking about how quickly she's grown, my husband came in the room & out of nowhere asked "Where will Wyatt & Stella do their homework when they get older?" He didn't realize that his timing was terrible (as a side note, this wasn't a real concern of his at this point, I think he was simply thinking about our house, the logistics, their rooms, etc - you know how the mind wanders) - I was already having a moment thinking about how big my new baby was getting - now he is asking about where my grade school aged kids will be doing their homework?! I'm sure it will be here before we know it...

*Wyatt at birth, 2007

Wordless Wednesday: Sibling Love

Sugar & Spice and Everything Nice

The Gift of Sharing

Remember me? Yes - I used to blog here, but have recently been so busy with the daily life of having two children that I am never on here anymore. I still read all my favorite blogs, but it is usually from the dim light of my iPhone during a nightly feeding session with Bean that I am able to see what everyone is up to. Love the iPhone, but certainly not skilled enough to write blog posts from it, bleary eyed in the middle of the night while I breastfeed.

I've had plenty of good ideas for posts lately, and this morning when I was able to get the baby to nap, I thought I would come down to the computer & hammer one out with some of my free time. Please forgive me in advance for my typos.

My husband & I have been pondering lately what to get the Monkey for Christmas - he really has SO many toys, and after sorting through winter clothes the other day (which I have apparently been stockpiling), I came to the realization that he needs no clothing either. We have a few ideas, but the best one that we came up with so far was participating in Durham's 'Share Your Christmas' program. We have adopted a family for the holidays, and have planned to take Wyatt with us to shop for them, and then deliver our gifts in person. We felt like one of the best gifts we could give him, and ourselves, this season was to share what we can with others.

What prompted all of this really was the fact that our 10 week old little girl has been sleeping soundly through the night since about 8-9 weeks. We were convinced that we would be cursed by our second child because the first was such a good sleeper. Turns out that my breast milk must be part sleeping potion. At any rate, these nights of good sleep have made us want to thank the good Lord for how truly blessed we are in all that we have, and knowing that there are others out there struggling just made us want to share some of our good fortune.

I specifically wanted to find a family parented by a single mother - on my bad days I am constantly tipping my hat to the single mothers out there, wondering how they survive day-to-day. The family we found actually has two children the same age as our children, so we thought it was a great fit. I look forward to shopping with Wyatt & having him help pick out toys & gifts for the family, and then seeing what it is like to deliver the gifts to that family in a few weeks. I really hope to make this a yearly tradition.

Do you have any special holiday traditions that involve helping others? What are some new traditions you'd like to start with your kids this season?

Life with Two

What is life like with two? Well, lets put it this way - I started this post about 3 weeks ago - that's how life with two is. Honestly though, things have been going as well as expected. I hesitate to put anything good down in writing, for fear that I will jinx myself ;)

The sleep deprivation all over again has probably been the hardest adjustment - I could change poop diapers till the cows come home, and really don't mind the fussing or spit-up either. But man, does Mama need her sleep. What makes it exceptionally harder the second time around is having to keep up with #1 while #2 has kept you awake for hours. But somehow the time seems to fly by, and just when I thought I would go insane from lack of sleep we have already hit the 1 month mark! Stella, nicknamed Bean around here, has been sleeping some 4-5 hour stretches lately & developing a bit of a nighttime pattern, which is nice. For the first week, my husband & I were like 2 ships passing in the night - sleeping upstairs & down & taking turns rocking the baby. I was convinced I had ruined our lives & Wyatt's by adding this extra person into the mix, and that my husband& I would never share a bed again. But, by the end of week one, things started to fall into place somewhat.

For those that know me, you know I kept a VERY detailed sleep/milestone/feeding log with Wyatt and, although every child is different, I am hoping it comes in handy later with #2. Well, apparently I didn't log much in the first 6 weeks...and I also have a very selective memory of the first 6 weeks events. No notes, nothing! We got home with Stella and Seth & I kept saying to each other "Do you remember Wyatt doing this?" or "When did we put Wyatt in his crib?" - I immediately called on other friends with 2 kids for advice on how to cope & all provided very helpful hints. Now that we are at 4 weeks, I am feeling a bit better & a lot is coming back to me.

Wyatt has been a stellar big brother - wanting to help change diapers & doting on the baby. There is some occasional squeezing & poking that needs to be monitored :), but other than that, things seem to be going well. He is quite fond of her. I have had to dig deep on many occasions to maintain my patience with him as I work through the moments where both are having meltdowns, are hungry or need something - it does get a little easier everyday.

So, that's the scoop for now - as much as I could type out in the few spare moments that I don't have a toddler in my lap, or a baby in my arms! Here are some favorite photos from the past 4 weeks:

A thumbsucker like her big bro? We shall see!!

With Daddy after the black tie wedding we attended

We have already taken an out-of-state trip with the baby!

Here's me, Stella & Papa at Forsyth Park in Savannah

A visit from cousin Sarah

Our first meal at home as a new family of four!

(Yes, I am nursing Stella at the dinner table - whatever it takes people, whatever it takes...)

We Are Here! We Are Here!

But it may be a while before I crank out any real posts! Getting a hang of this toddler & infant thing will no doubt be a skill to master over the next few weeks & months. I am so lucky to have family & friends close by though - we are all doing well, just a little tired ;)

The Unfortunate Smashing of a Thumb

It all happened about 2 weeks ago, this new chaos in my life. Seth & I often pondered how we would get Wyatt to stop sucking his thumb one of these days. To be honest, it never really bothered either of us, and he's always been such a good self-soother we were going to let things stop on their own. Truth be told, I sucked my thumb until 4th grade people - I mean, not sitting in class at school, but definitely at night...with my blankie...that I still sleep with (another story in itself!)

Back to the story - we had been having some nap issues, but things were still going fairly smoothly. Then came the fateful night that Wyatt, his 'Pop' (grandpa) & Daddy were all in the basement looking at something. Daddy couldn't figure out why this one lever wouldn't close on this thing they were looking at, only to discover the reason being Wyatt's thumb - the precious thumb sucking thumb no doubt - was stuck in it!! Lots of tears & blood ensued, but after a Popsicle & a Band-Aid we were patched up & over it. That night, bath time was touch & go - Wyatt didn't want to get the thumb wet & cried when he tried to suck it, but we didn't think twice about it - it will heal in a day or two we said.

Fast forward two weeks later - the scab is gone, the thumb is healed. But, the thumb sucking is over - as in not. even. interested. at. all. That was easy, right? WRONG - Mommy is convinced that the lack of thumb sucking has ruined her daytime freedom. Nap time has now turned into rest time here, which is hardly quiet time (although we do stay in our bed).

How does a child go from napping up to 3 hours a day to suddenly not napping at all?? I am hoping it is a phase, but until proven wrong I stand by my theory that it is the thumb!

Wordless Wednesday: Long Hot Summer

Another First

This weekend I was feeling a bit nostalgic, so I flipped through some old photos & albums from when Wyatt was born. Since we only have about 4 weeks till #2 is here, I am trying to brush up on as many memories as I can from when W was a tiny baby.

For those that know me well, you know about my infamous feeding/sleeping schedule that I kept diligently for 54 weeks. I knew it would pay off, now that #2 is on the way I have been looking back at it as I remember what Wyatt's feeding & sleeping schedule was like - all I can say is I only PRAY that we get so lucky again...

On page 2 of the spreadsheet is a chart of "milestones" - basically my notes of what Wyatt was up to over the weeks & months that passed. It stopped at about 15 months when he began walking (running), and I was wishing that I had kept up with it more. As my friend Abby is always telling me though, this blog is sort of like a digital baby book, so I have reminders on here as well.

Today as I was looking through the milestones, I didn't realize that one was happening right behind me! Wyatt, who is NEVER interested in coloring or crafting, had taken to drawing with some crayons he found in my desk & a piece of paper from the printer. I turned around to see this, which he said was a picture of himself swimming underwater: (for the untrained eye, this is a stick man with 2 eyes & a smile & some "crazy" hair, as Wyatt described it)

His first real drawing - There is nothing that melts my heart more than a good kid's drawing - especially of people & faces. Who know's if he'll ever repeat it, but it is up on the fridge with name & date to mark the occasion!

Where the Wild Things Are

Three, I've decided, is where the trouble lies. And, I think there are a few moms out there that would agree with me. All things sweet seem to have turned sour when midnight rang in on July 12, 2010...

Our latest battle has been nap time. I realize I am one of the lucky ones whose child still takes a nap at 3, but this child NEEDS a nap every afternoon - trust me, I have seen what happens when he doesn't get one, and it ain't pretty. For some reason nap time has become the best time to pull out all the stops for postponing the inevitable:

"Sing two songs, no one more"

"I need to go pee pee"

"Let's read a book"

"I wanted to get in bed myself"

"I wanted to do a flip into bed"

"I want to put this toy on the shelf"

"My feet aren't covered up"

It's all enough to make this crazy, hormonally imbalanced pregnant mom a bit insane. In fact yesterday, after 1 1/2 hours of trying for a nap (my craziness is that I should have given up after 30 minutes) I opened the door to find that Wyatt had turned his blankie into some sort of tourniquet on his pointer finger, thus making it turn blue at the tip (good thing I checked on him) - he will stop at nothing to get me back in there to check on him. I finally gave up at 2:30 & decided I would lay on my own bed for 5 minutes to calm down, then go in & get him. Fast forward 50 minutes to when I woke on my bed at 3:20. I had the monitor on & was 1 door away, but somehow felt rattled with guilt like I was going to find Wyatt in there with one less finger & stuck under his bed.

I opened the door quietly only to find him haven broken every possible rule - the blinds open, all of the lights on, everything thrown out of the bed & him on the floor next to his bookshelf reading a book. I guess he had given up too. "Hi Mom! Wanna read this with me?" was his greeting - how could I be mad? After all, at least one of us got a nap.

Basket Case

So, in looking at my blog it appears I have done nothing but have a 2 month series of "Wordless Wednesdays." Yes, I have been lazy, but I'm pregnant dammit - pregnant & quite frankly it's too hot out for me to even think straight in my downtime.

There has been a whole lot to blog about, I have just yet to put "pen to paper." Most importantly, my son turned 3 & I am a wreck. There are very little parts of him that are like a baby anymore, with the exception of still changing the occasional Pull-Up. He is proudly sleeping like a champ in his "big boy" bed, he pees standing up by himself, he has graduated to a new car seat...the list continues. One would think I would be excited about all of this new found independence with #2 only 8 weeks away, but I can only find myself wishing time would stop.

Pulling out all of the old baby clothes, toys & books sure hasn't helped either. Every free moment doing so is like a trip down memory lane. I have enjoyed it, but with me being this hormonal it is a dangerous thing - the tears can often come very quickly.

All I can do at this point is look back & be so thankful for the time I have been able to spend with him as a mother & SAHM. I am so grateful for this wonderful little person in my life, and I truly am looking forward to seeing him as a nurturing big brother. Until then, a few videos to rekindle the memories...