Two flu over the coo coo's nest...

So, now Baby T has joined me in sharing the bug. Preschool C has never really had the stomach stuff. He has never thrown up in his whole 4 years, for example. I think this is because God knows me well. To know me is to know that I go from 0 to gross out and freak out in about 30 seconds. Put simply: I.Don't.Do.Bodily.Fluids.
And now, I open the diaper: OH THE HUMANITY!!!! It's pretty disgusting. I called my mom and lied to her. I told her Tessa started saying her name b/c she wanted to see her Meena so badly. I thought maybe I could con her into changing the diapers. It didn't work.
Baby T is still in a good mood. Lots of smiles and coos as long as I'm giving her my constant attention. But I was getting so frustrated b/c this is day 2 of getting nothing done.
And then...................(Drumroll) I got my first sweet baby kiss from my baby girl! All open mouth and slobbery. But a kiss nonetheless. And then she did it again! And I don't even care if she gives this to me all over again, because nothing is better than a baby kiss. Smiles, coos, kisses: it's so awesome when your baby can love you back. Totally worth rocking all day!

One flu over the cukoo's nest

So, I woke up Sunday at one in the morning, doubled over in pain. Flashbacks of the labor where I DIDN'T GET THE EPIDURAL IN TIME kept going through my head. (No, I'm not bitter. Really.) It was pretty miserable.
I spent Sunday in a flu-induced coma, dreaming wild dreams. Don't you just love those kind of dreams? Really, it was pretty fun. I dreamed I was on a boat, and Chad and Connor were parasailing. I got kind of freaked out when I couldn't pull them in, though.
I dreamed that Jesus was walking through Walmart calling his disciples. As Peter abandoned his cart full of Christmas things, I thought, "Wow, it must have taken him forever to shop for all that stuff, and he's just leaving it behind." Maybe I need to read up on the true meaning of sacrifice if walking away from a cart seems like a big deal. :)
It's weird to listen to your house run without you. Of course, every so often Preschool C would come in to check on me, wake me up, and tell me that Daddy wasn't talking very nice to him. "Daddy said to pick up my toys, but he didn't say please." Preschool C is very sensitive to the injustices in his world, like if someone doesn't say please to him. I missed hearing my baby girl coo and see her smile.
But all is well today. My project: Use an entire can of Lysol spraying my house down. Bleach clean everything I can and keep the rest of my family from getting it. It's amazing how behind just one little day in bed can get you. Time to play catch up! Sweet dreams, my friends!

May your days be merry and bright....

I'm having so much fun getting ready for the holidays around here! Every year my husband and I try to decide if we want a themed tree or not. We always go back to our traditional tree. It has ornaments from every year I was a child and every year since we've been married. Since my husband doesn't have childhood ornaments, I buy him one each year. And now I have the kids to buy for, too. I love the memories that we relive every year when we pull the ornaments out. There's the year I was totally into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, our trip to Disney World, the year I got engaged. I love the pictures of Connor's first Christmas, and remembering how he was SO into the Wiggles, Mickey Mouse, and now Star Wars. This year I ordered an ornament with their picture right on it. Love it!
Baked cookies with Preschool C last night and took them to Meena and Papa with a Christmas carol. He loved it. We plan to do that with other families soon. It's a good way to get him into the spirit of giving instead of only getting. I love Santa, but I think that sometimes the whole idea of Santa is part of the gimme gimme problem.
We are counting down the days with our little Santa chimney, too. Each day we pull out a "brick" and Santa falls a little further down the chimney. Preschool C reminds me of this first thing every morning.
I have so much to be thankful for this holiday season! In the rush of Christmas parties and plays and events, don't forget to take some time to just BE together and enjoy watching little ones celebrate Christmas!

The Truth about Heaven and Santa

Well Preschool C is at it again. Tonight he tells me, "Mom, you're gonna die one day." Then he hugs me and tells me he's really going to miss me when I go. Ok, besides really creeping me out, I'm wondering where all this is coming from. Then come the questions about if all people die, and Heaven. Preschool C says he's scared of Heaven, because he doesn't want to be alone. And also, he wants his favorite doll Tasha and his other doll Froggie. Oh, and mom, will there be water in Heaven? Cause I want to swim...How do my clothes get to heaven? Will I be able to take my swimming trunks, cause I want to swim....and so on and so forth. We did get to talk about how cool Heaven is, how that is Jesus' home. I explained how we will all meet again there, and how some people we love are already waiting there. Ok, I also jazzed it up a little by making it really really cool that we don't have to brush our teeth there. I think that we made some headway and maybe it will be the beginning of Preschool C's spiritual understanding.
Oh, and Santa. He's killing me with this Santa thing. I told him he gets to see Santa tomorrow and he rolled his eyes and said, "Oh, him. Santa." I'm like, "Ok, what's the deal with you and Santa?" And he says (hands raised in the air, indignant), "Last year, I told Santa I wanted a Barbie, and I got a Zu Zu Pet instead. Santa..."  He shakes his head. "I want to talk to him about that. And I'm asking for a Barbie again." Parental dilemma. He's a rough and tumble little guy. He just likes Barbies, too. To get or not to get? I'll fill you in next time!
PS-Baby T is still amusing us all with her big laughs. She is so fun!

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

So, another injustice of pregnancy, one that hits long after the fact. Just when the horrendous memories were starting to fade...my hair starts falling out. I knew this day was coming, and it's really no big deal. Instead of giant thick Q-tip hair, I just have normal hair. It's more the constant shedding and the clumps that fall out in Baby T's little fists. Oh, the annoyance!
Been cleaning out closets. Baby T's was just too full and I had to get rid of the things that didn't fit anymore. Could NOT believe I was already doing that. She is growing too fast. Since I've experienced the warp speed of the baby stage already, I'm trying to stop, breathe, and savor the moments. She's been laughing out loud a lot lately. She's turning into such a little person already!!
Preschool C has been up to no good...I wrapped some presents and left them in the living room. I noticed that they all had little bitty holes poked in them. Preschool C says it was NOT him. He may have just "fallen" into them. His light saber "accidentally" hit another. And of course, Sopie was involved. Luckily, his presents are safely secured inside of Baby T's diaper boxes, so he'll get nowhere with that! Now he's questioning Santa. The jig was up last year when he said his present was too big to fit down the chimney. We made up a bunch of stories about the magic of Santa. This year he just came right out and said, "So, mom, this Santa stuff...is it really just the parents?" Quick change of subjects by me, "Look! Arthur's on!!" I'm not sure whether to keep pushing it, especially for Baby T's sake, or just forget it. But it seems so sad to be only four and not believe in Santa.
Well, time to go put some eucalyptus oil in the vaporizer and get my kiddos well. They both have runny noses and coughs. And after that, light saber fighting with Preschool C.
                                                                                                               K

Bottle, Interrupted

I think the biggest shock of having Baby T is how pressed for time I feel! I always feel a little bit guilty on her behalf, as if she is getting the short end of the stick. Whereas I always had time to sit and gaze into Preschool C's eyes, play with him, rock him, etc, Baby T doesn't get quite as much of that. Of course, Preschool C demanded it and Baby T is pretty relaxed. It seems like we are always on the go. Inevitably, we must leave right in the middle of a feeding or be late. So, poor Baby T gets fed half the bottle at home and half at the other location. She doesn't seem to mind, so I guess I shouldn't, either.
Of course, running around like crazy isn't always my fault. It's the other member of our household who seems to cause trouble and slow us down. I haven't introduced him yet, but he is the bane of my existence. His name is Sopie. He is Preschool C's imaginary (yet very real) friend/enemy. Sopie does all of the bad things that Preschool C dreams about doing but knows he would get into trouble for. Sopie colors on walls. Sopie says bad words like, "Stupid head". Sopie hits and kicks and says he doesn't like people. I told Preschool C that Sopie had to move out. But he just keeps returning.
Stroke of luck. We had a dog for 6 weeks. After that mistake left our house, we sold its kennel in a garage sale. Preschool C was distraught. We didn't know it, but Sopie was locked inside the cage and therefore, taken away from our home. I pretended to suffer the pain with Preschool C. Poor Sopie!!! But not long after Baby T was born, Sopie found his way home. Drat!
I guess it's all part of it. The kids are happy so I am too. And if Baby T has to share some time, she's no worse for the wear. But when you see me dragging Preschool C, Baby T, and holding the door open just a LITTLE bit longer for Sopie, you'll know why I'm just a tiny bit frazzled :)
                                                                                                                         K

Backing up and other feats of strength

Um...am I the only one who seriously cannot drive? I mean, really. Today I had to call my husband to help me back out of the garage.  That's right. He was in the house and I had gotten myself wedged between the garage door and his truck. The vehicles were thisclose...as in almost touching. It's not the first time this has happened to me. I always wonder if my neighbor Becca is across the street laughing as he comes to fix my jam. He always comes though, lest another car mirror fall prey to the garage door.
And cooking. That's another thing that's just not going to happen. We have embarked on a family journey to eat healthy. And with that came new recipes. They just aren't working. God bless my dear husband who gags it down and says, "Well, it wasn't good but it was edible." I can bake all day. But cooking? It's just not working. My question is: I follow the recipe EXACTLY so WHY isn't it working? Is it me?
And just a random question, but why do the little snack size candy bars always taste so much better than the full size ones? Is it because you know you only have one bite so you better savor it? I like the snack size, because you can't take it for granted. It demands respect.
Just some pondering I was doing...and now I must go, for preschool C is out chatting it up with the postal worker and she is desperately trying to get out of the conversation so she can pull away.

A little more about us...

So...more about my family. Preschool C is a real case. He has kept me running from the time he could walk. Actually, he never walked. He stood up and ran, really. I have been running ever since. I even earned the nickname, "Baywatch" from my friends because of the times I had to full-on chase the kid. Those days are swiftly ending, though. He's starting to settle down and act like a big kid. It's refreshing and a little sad.

You never know what you're gonna get with PreschoolC. Like when we left McD's the other day and a (very) old lady was walking in. Preschool C shrieked and said, "You're really really old! You have an old face!!!" I don't think the old lady heard him. Preschool C just couldn't understand why it wasn't nice to call someone old. He was still freaked out.

Sometimes it's hard to keep a straight face around Preschool C. Like when he made a mess at the dinner table and his dad said, "Now buddy, why would you do that?" Preschool C just looked him straight in the eye and said, "Don't judge me." Teachable moment over. We had to laugh.

Baby T is so fun. She is so easy going and smiles all the time. The fun thing about Baby T is that she smiles with her whole face. Her mouth opens a far wide as it can possibly go. So cool. She is so different than Preschool C was as a baby! It's fun to do this a second time around, because there are so many similarities, yet so many differences.

Don't know if we'll ever go for Baby 3. While pregnant with Baby T, my son told me to watch what I was eating because I was starting to look like Ginormica from Monsters vs. Aliens. Two is a lot of fun, but at three, we'd be outnumbered!
I'm sure I'll be posting soon, because it won't be long until Preschool C will be entertaining us again.
                                                                                                                                             

So begins the journey

So I've decided to enter that mysterious cyberworld that I've always avoided. That's right. With the help of a friend, I'm writing my very first blog! Maybe people will read it. Maybe not. But hey, I can chronicle the oh so important events of our lives, right? Better yet, I can remember those wonderful little everyday moments that make life life. And make life fun. Like when preschoolC informed me that I might be getting old because he noticed I had a whisker. (I don't!)
 I love being a mom. It's not at all what I expected. It's so much harder and so much better! My kids are hilarious! What kid isn't? So, at the request of my facebook friends, I'll tell you all about my son, let's call him preschoolC, and his antics. And soon, babyT will probably join the fun! Bear with me as I learn about this new blog-territory thing! I can't promise to be profound, but I can promise to be myself!