Meeting Santa

Santa came to the Library today. As you can see, Kiddo and Squirt each reacted just a little bit differently to him. However, Kiddo only sat long enough for the photo op and to get a candy cane. Then he was outta there! Hopefully next year I'll get better-quality photos!

Umm, if you say so, Kiddo..

Most, if not all, of the people who still read this blog are mothers. So I know you are all familiar with the lack of privacy a Mommy of a toddler has, and can relate to the following:

I get into the restroom, close the door, and am attempting to do what's necessary in just a little peace when I hear knocking at the door and a sad little voice requesting to come in. Since he asked, "Please sweet Mama, may you please open the door?" I cave and reluctantly let him in. Kiddo's smiling face appears and he brightly says, "You are having SO much FUN in here!!!"

Uh, really? I hadn't noticed... I guess it's all about your perspective, huh? ;-)

Sunday Will Come

This is still one of my favorite talks ever. It is all the more poignant to me because he delivered it in the October 2006 Conference, when I was just beginning to find the light at the end of the very, very dark tunnel of Post Partum Depression. What a kind and tender heart Elder Wirthlin has. His words have always brought me such hope and peace.

The full text of his inspiring talk can be found at:

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=0af888f17feae010VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=f318118dd536c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Just a Baby on the Move

Squirt has no intention of being left behind. He's been rolling to get places for two months already, is excellent at the pivot, now gets up on his hands and knees,

and has even managed to lunge himself forward a bit.

He's also very sneaky because he's generally very quiet when he's on the go...

I'm gonna have to keep a closer eye on this little guy!

It's so funny to me because at this age, Kiddo just liked to sit up and play. If he needed something, he'd usually make noise so we'd get it for him. Squirt can sit quite well, but really has very little desire to do so. The good news is, they have both been extremely happy babies and I am very thankful for that!

My Sunshine

These boys make me smile, and bring sunshine to even the gloomiest days!

You know you're really tired....

... when you can fall asleep with your face in your big brother's sandal! Maybe he thought it would make a good pillow??? Poor Little Squirt!

Mommies are the BEST

WOW, this made me cry!!! I just love this little girl.

I don't know about you, but my kiddos rarely express such appreciation for those simple acts of service their parents do every day. So if you ever feel taken for granted, know that *I* think you're awesome... or pretend that Sophia is *your* little kid telling *you* how wonderful *you* are... or make your kids watch this 'til they get the point... ;-)

Big thanks to my own Mommy for all those little things, and a million or so more... although she often didn't let me choose my clothes OR hairstyles, and it would have been a Pepsi she shared, not a "Coca-Cola!" ;-) LOVE YOU FOREVER!

cute baby

Temporary Housing

Wow, it's hard to believe it's autumn already. And it's hard to believe I actually went a whole month without posting anything. It's not that I don't have anything to say. I do think of posts while I'm lying in bed nursing at 2 a.m. or when I'm trying to convince Kiddo to eat his dinner, but I just don't ever seem to get around to it. Sadly, it's not because we've been out living it up doing fun summer stuff. Not only have I had a difficult time trying to put our life on a schedule (& still haven't managed to do it yet!), but we also had to put most of our belongings in storage and move out-of-state in July. Daddy-O's job with the state was just a two-year contract for the duration of his graduate program, and with this crummy economy and a very corrupt state government, there was no money to create a permanent position for him in the department. In fact, there have been several layoffs of formerly "permanent" employees this summer. So, while he sends out resumes and applications galore, we're staying at my Mom's old mobile home to save money. She and Bob are here to work at the Temple on the weekends, which is a great thrill for Kiddo. The rest of the week it's just the 4 of us.

I told the Daddy-O that it reminds me of when I started college-- since I was waiting to see which school would offer me a better financial aid package, I didn't get my housing application in until very late Spring. Thus, the dorms were all full. However, the U of I knows that not all of those kids with reservations will end up staying at school, so they put the "extra" students in "temporary housing" until rooms become available for them (in my case, 6 weeks). This amounts to throwing five sets of bunk beds, about 3 dressers and 4 or 5 desks into a floor lounge and throwing as many as 10 girls (or guys) in the one room. Instead of paying the full rate for a dorm room, they charged us $2 a day for the time we were in the lounge. Being one of nine very different girls in a small space was fun for about the first week, when you feel like you're in camp. After that, it's pretty darn annoying. Not that it's annoying to be here! Yes, it stinks to be in limbo, waiting for something better to come, but at least we're staying with people we know and love. And Bob brings homemade bread nearly every week. YUM!

Also,

• We don't have to use a key to go to the bathroom, which was shared with, oh, 40 other girls.
• There are no boys upstairs bouncing basketballs at odd hours, or alarm clocks going off for an hour in the afternoon because they're all at class.

AND, we don't have any roommates who:

• are so clueless as to leave a pizza with onions out for two days straight (and then wonder why the room smells).
• hog the one phone line for hours (this was before everyone had cell phones. NONE of us did).
• have enough changes of clothing that she doesn't have to do laundry for over a month (in the blazing hot late summer, no less), thus resulting in a huge pile of dirty clothes right next to MY bed.
• as we later discovered, changed her sanitary napkins in the ROOM rather than the restroom!
• use the phrase "wicked f*ing cool" hundreds of times a day.
• invite a loud, obnoxious male friend to stay for the weekend who then got so drunk he peed himself and soaked the mattress.

Yeah, those were some good times... is it any wonder why, when the housing office called (the day after the aforementioned male left) to tell me they did have a room but it was a single, I eagerly asked, "WHEN CAN I MOVE IN?!?!?!"

Blog? What Blog?

So... I haven't been posting lately. Contrary to what the title of this post implies, I haven't forgotten that I have a blog. I just rarely have any time to devote to it these days. Between keeping two little ones clothed and fed and changed, Kiddo's having learned how to use the computer this summer, and Daddy-O's job hunt, I don't get to the computer much. And when I do, I either forget what I'm here for, or I spend all my spare time on Facebook or reading your blogs. I rarely even get comments posted, but I have become a virtual queen of the "Like button" on Facebook, however!

Even as I sit here typing, Little Squirt is wiggling around on my lap and has managed to spit up a large amount on to my jeans. Sigh. I do remind myself that the spitting up, pooping, and peeing on virtually everything stage is just a stage. However, it is exhausting to try to keep a clean outfit on anyone! Anymore, I've pretty much given up for my own wardrobe. I suppose there might come a day when I have a closet full of unstained, cute clothes that actually fit me, and then I'll be wishing for my boys to be babies again.

Any-hoo, here's a few photos. You'll see that Little Squirt is not so little anymore. He is growing FAST!

Kiddo has discovered the joys of fruit snacks.


Kiddo comparing his atlas with his World Map placemat-- yes, he does think this is fun!


I think Little Squirt is so anxious to be able to talk, too!


Looking cool in Kiddo's glasses

By the way, he spit up again, and he's drooling everywhere. It's a glamorous life, friends!

Thanks, Kiddo

This morning I was holding Little Squirt and talking to him, and he was smiling and doing his best to "talk" back to me. So I was telling Little Squirt how smart he is, and I asked him, "What do you think? Do we have TWO geniuses in our family?"

Kiddo, standing nearby, interjected, "No, we do not have TWO geniuses in our family. We have THREE geniuses in our family-- Little Squirt, Me, and Daddy."

Looking at Daddy, he continued, "Daddy, you are a genius."

Nothing was said about the Mommy. Poor, poor Mommy. Later, when pressed, he admitted that Mama is "a little bit smart."

My THREE Geniuses

Smiley Guy

A lady at Church commented that Little Squirt has the "cutest personality--" and we would have to agree. He really doesn't cry much, unless he's very hungry or overly tired. And he has the sweetest smile. I've been trying to get a good picture of it. This is the best one so far!

A Little Light Reading Before Bedtime

This is how I found Kiddo when I went in to put him to bed the other night. He never ceases to amaze me! He truly does love this book-- he even insisted on dragging it with him to the babysitter's once.

Thriller Tribute?

In the wake of Michael Jackson's recent death, I've seen several clips of folks doing their own re-enactments of the "Thriller" video in tribute. Of course, my boys have never seen Michael or the tributes, but when I looked at these photos, I thought immediately of the "Thriller" dance. What do you think?

DEFINITELY a Boy!

Well, I guess I knew it would happen someday. I just didn't think it would be when he was THREE. Yep, my kid has discovered the hilarity of "fart jokes."

Last week at the Library, I found a Little Critter book called, "Just My Little Brother and Me." Since I was under the impression that Little Critter only had a baby sister, I was pretty excited to check this out. It's a really cute book, and very appropriate for Kiddo because he really wants to play with "his baby," but of course, Little Squirt has to get a bit bigger before he can really participate. Anyway, there is a page on which Little Critter imagines how he and his little brother will build snow forts and have snowball fights with other kids. Somehow, both times I've read this aloud to Kiddo, I've slipped up and said "snow farts" instead. This makes Kiddo burst out laughing, and he also enjoys reminding me throughout the day about my malapropism. Great.

Another thing Kiddo likes to do is make up stories about his favorite states and countries in which they act just as though they were human characters. I sort of think he got the idea from the Chicka Chicka books, in which numbers and letters seem to take on human characteristics. Yesterday in one of his stories, he announced that "Tajikistan tooted." Niiiiiiiiice.

So I guess it's official. I'm DEFINITELY the mother of a BOY!!!

Little Hercules

I've been meaning to post this ever since I filmed it, but you know, life intervenes...

I guess Little Squirt must have heard about his big brother's talents and wants us to know he doesn't plan on being outshined.

Growing Fast

The good news is, both boys are healthy and strong. Little Squirt had an appointment with the pediatrician on Monday, and is up to 9 lbs, 9 oz and 22 inches long. It's crazy to see he's getting bigger so fast. He now has some chub in those cheeks, much like his big brother.

He's eating well, but boy do I wish I could more easily predict what his nighttime schedule was going to be. He wakes up at least twice to eat during the night, and then is often very lazy about it and we both fall asleep before he's done, and he also likes to be awake between 3 and 5 a.m. almost every morning. Daddy-O usually takes him after I feed him then, but we are both exhausted and desperately need more than our total of 4-6 hours of sleep a night (and that is not uninterrupted). The old adage to "sleep when the baby sleeps" is also well-nigh impossible when Kiddo is awake and wanting attention.

I keep trying to tell myself that this stage is temporary, but that doesn't mean it isn't really hard for me. At this point with Kiddo, I was in the hospital because of a complete inability to sleep and PPD and my Mom and Daddy-O were taking care of Kiddo. So I know I am coping better than that this time. But it's still been much harder than I thought it would be. I honestly don't know how so many women have the strength to do this several times, unless they have a lot of help. I guess we all have our limits, our own strengths and weaknesses, and this is just one of my personal inadequacies.

Adjusting...

Well, I guess I've really been neglecting the blog these past few months. Of course, now that I am the mother of two, I seem to have a lot less time to spend on the computer. Basically, these days I just check my email (i.e., delete my junk mail) and look at Facebook once or twice a day long enough to "like" a few people's posts. Every few days, I check Google Reader and read new posts on my friends' blogs. And that's about it.

Most of the time, it seems like I'm feeding someone or changing someone's diapers or trying to get someone to sleep. And if I'm not doing that, I'm looking for some toy Kiddo has lost or blowing bubbles. Kiddo seems to think that any time is a good time for bubbles, even if I'm nursing the baby, burping the baby, changing a diaper, or trying to eat... my patience is wearing a little thin. Just getting a chance to shower or sneak in a cat-nap is so much more difficult than it was just a month ago! I know that I have so much to be grateful for, and I am feeling so blessed to have my two sweet boys. This just isn't the most fun or glamorous time right now, and it will pass. It would just be nice to have a housekeeper or something. However, I must give credit to my wonderful husband: the Daddy-O is fabulous to us, and helps me with just about EVERYTHING he possibly can when he gets home from work.

Kiddo still seems to like his little brother, and is anxious to give him kisses and loves. He is totally amused by the baby's little noises, and thinks it's hilarious when the Little Squirt pees everywhere when I change his diaper. Evidently, Mommy is very funny when she exasperatedly says, "Oh, man!!!" several times... I do think Kiddo gets frustrated by how much time I spend feeding the baby because that is time when I am basically "out of commission," but he is doing better than I'd expected with it.

The funniest thing about Kiddo's relationship with the baby is that, for the majority of my pregnancy, Kiddo was absolutely definite that there was only one acceptable name for this child. Luckily for Daddy-O and me, it was the dignified Old Testament name we'd already pretty much decided on as soon as we knew we were expecting. However, since the baby's birth, Kiddo almost never refers to him by his real name. Instead, he calls the baby...... "Tom-Tom Tomato," or just "Tom-Tom," for short!

There is a story behind this crazy nickname. On Valentine's Day, we took Kiddo with us out to eat at the Olive Garden. The highlight of this trip, for Kiddo, was the children's menu and crayons. They are decorated with cartoon food characters, sort of like the Veggie Tales. The two that he remembered best were "Ollie Olive" and "Tonya Tomato." At some point weeks later, Kiddo decided that he was Ollie and that Mommy is Tonya. Somedays he will only answer to Ollie, and often he refers to me as Tonya or Tonya Tomato both at home AND in public.

If you look closely, you can see Ollie on the cup...

Later he decided he wanted Daddy-O to be Tonya also, but we informed him that Tonya is only a girl's name. Thus, Daddy-O became "Mr. Tonya." When we asked him what the baby should be called, he came up with "Tom-Tom Tomato," never really thinking Kiddo would actually call him that...

And now you can see Tonya Tomato...

So when anyone asks Kiddo, "What's your baby brother's name?" he answers, "Tom-Tom" and Mommy or Daddy have to explain that no, his name isn't even Thomas either. No, Kiddo didn't want to name him Thomas or Tom-Tom. He just wants to call him Tom-Tom now.

So, I'm wondering:

• Should I still refer to the baby as Rerun, which Daddy doesn't care for?
• Should I call him Tom-Tom, which is just confusing?
• Should I call him Little Squirt, because it does seem quite appropriate?
• Or, should I go back to the drawing board and pick an entirely new nickname?

Any suggestions?


Oh, by the way, the Daddy-O graduated on the 16th.
Not that it's a big deal or anything... j/k.
I think it's a big deal, but don't tell him I said so.

Happy Mother's Day!

It seems like everyone who reads this blog is also a Facebook friend, but in case you haven't heard...

I had a very eventful Mother's Day this year! Awakened at 12:30 a.m. with contractions, I had no idea that in a little over 5 hours, I would have my best Mother's Day gift. The labor was short-- in fact, I got admitted to my room at 3:50 a.m., and he was born at 5:50 a.m.-- so no epidural, and barely time for a small dose of nubain (spelling?) before it was time to push him out! That's something I didn't think I'd ever be able to say! So far, everything is going so much better than the first time as far as healing, sleeping, and nursing that I can hardly believe it. And I DID get to go to Daddy-O's graduation yesterday, so that was another blessing.

Kiddo is pretty excited about his new brother, and wants to hold him and touch him and sing to him. It's pretty sweet. Kiddo is a bit louder than we'd like him to be, but so far, his brother really doesn't seem that disturbed by Kiddo's noise. I suppose it's been his constant companion these past few months in the womb! :) However many books we had read to him about babies not doing much at the beginning, Kiddo REALLY is anxious for the day when the baby will be able to play and talk. On the first day he came to see us at the hospital, he asked, "Does he want to hold my calculator?" That made me want to both laugh and cry, as several times in the weeks leading up to the birth, Kiddo had informed me, "I am definitely NOT going to share my calculator with him!" So I guess he must like this baby a lot!

I am still worried about how I'll handle it all when Daddy-O's at work, and Gobby goes back home. I imagine that's when the sibling jealousy will kick in. But I am very grateful to have TWO such beautiful and healthy boys to fill my life with joy!

THE DETAILS:
Our Baby Boy
Born: 5:50 am, 10 May 2009
Weight: 8 lbs, 3.5 oz
Length: 21.5 inches (although the nurse at the pediatrician's office said he was 19 in. 4 days later... don't think so!)
Head: 14.25 in
And, according to his big brother, his favorite color: goldenrod!

Beary Nice

Some months back, my visiting teacher passed down a few toys to Kiddo. He really loves this set of little plastic counting bears, which look just like the set used for math lessons in the Kindergarten room at Meeker. His current favorite bear-related activity is to arrange them in families, with the Daddy, the Baby, and the Mother Bear. They come in 3 sizes, so generally there is one of each size in each family. Today he told me what each bear in each family was doing. For the most part, all the families are participating in the exact same activities.

• Father Bear is doing dishes.

• Baby Bear is singing a song.

• Mother Bear is eating.

And perhaps it is not a coincidence that Mother Bear is also the largest of the three bears. Do you think he's trying to tell me something? :)

Another Blessed Event

A few weeks ago, I commented to Kiddo that my back really hurt. He responded that his back really hurt, too.

I said, "Well, my back hurts because I am pregnant. Why does your back hurt?"

"I'm pwegnant, too!" he cheerfully replied.

I got a good laugh out of that but didn't think too much more about it, until a few days later. I guess I made some other remark about being pregnant, and Kiddo insisted, "You're not pwegnant; I'M pwegnant!"

"Really?" I asked. "You know that 'pregnant' means that you have a baby in your belly, right? Do you have a baby in your belly?"

"Yes. I do!"

"Really? But boys can't be pregnant. Only girls can be pregnant and have babies in their bellies."

Looking highly incensed, he replied, "Boys can too have babies in their bellies!" (Because, you know, anything girls can do, boys can do, too! :))

"Okay, so is your baby a boy baby or a girl baby?"

"A giwl baby."

"Oh, wow! What are you going to name her? Sarah? Anna? Elliana?"

He thought about it a few seconds, and decided, "Ewwiana."

"That's a pretty name. When is her due date?"

"November!"

So, it looks like we'll be having 2 new babies in our home this year. I think Kiddo may share some of my ambivalence about the whole pregnancy thing, because while he's still insistent that he is having a baby, he sometimes moves up the due date to June or September. But mostly he's sticking to November. At any rate, he's not "showing" yet, although he says he's going to get a belly as big as Mommy's. Good luck with that, Kiddo! :)

On a somewhat related note, out of nowhere last night he told me that my baby is coming in eight days. While that would probably be nice, I'm certainly not counting on it. After all, he predicted Michigan State over UNC, and is still insisting that MSU won. (In his defense, he doesn't really know what he's talking about-- we don't even get CBS here. I think he just likes the state of Michigan because his aunt and uncle live there!)

Large and in Charge

So, this is how much I've grown in just 3 weeks. And sadly, I still have about a month to go. I've already gained 39 pounds, which if you add to the 9 extra pounds I was still carrying from the first pregnancy, means I already have about 50 pounds to lose once the baby is born. How is that for discouraging?!?!?! Looks like I'll be wearing my annoying maternity pants for several more months this time. With Kiddo, it was obvious from my swollen ankles and legs that I was retaining large amounts of water, and I did lose a lot of that fast. This time it looks like it's all just me-- unless of course I have a 20 pound baby. HAHAHA.

You often hear of celebrity Moms, who-- let's face it-- were probably underweight to begin with, gaining something crazy like 70 pounds, but then rapidly managing to lose it all. I always wonder how that is possible. But I guess maybe if I had a personal trainer, a nanny, and a cook, I could do it too.

I have been trying to tell myself that the main thing is just for the baby to come healthy, and for me to be healthy, and all the numerous nurses and residents I've had to see this time seem to think that we are. They're watching for spikes in blood pressure, and last time thought he might be breech, but today he seems to be head-down, although still in a kooky position--instead of head-down, face-up, and in fetal position, something more like this-- sideways, with his bum up near my ribs, and his legs all stretched out.

Baby "Rerun" continues to stretch out as much as possible, and move a lot. But I have to say, I am seriously uncomfortable. It's hard to carry this belly around! Finding a comfortable sleeping position is almost impossible, which means I'm more tired than I should be...which means I've had some migraines... which means I feel like doing very little... which makes me feel like eating to console myself... which makes me gain weight and gives me heartburn... which makes it hard to take a nap... which means... you get the picture.

So actually, while I am large, but I'm not really in charge. I'm praying the baby comes 2 or 3 weeks early, but it seems highly unlikely that a girl who made her mother wait an extra 3 weeks would ever be blessed with an early birth!! Honestly, I think the marsupials do reproduction much better than we humans. Wouldn't you rather give birth to something exceedingly tiny, and then carry it around in a pouch while it grows and matures, or is it just me? It sounds so much more comfortable. Think of all the things you could get done!! And, I could be wrong, but it sounds like nursing, for a koala, is really a cinch.

On a positive note, I am getting really excited to meet this new little guy! I am so curious to see what he will look like, and what kind of personality he'll have. Kiddo is going through what I hope is just a phase of being picky about whether or not he wants to be hugged or kissed, so I can't wait for a little snuggle puppy who I can kiss and cuddle as much as I want!

I am so thankful that I have been able to be medicated through this pregnancy, and will be able to continue with it to nurse, assuming that works out. My first pregnancy, and ESPECIALLY the recovery period were so difficult for me emotionally and I am really praying for a much smoother transition this time... especially because the dear friends who were so incredibly helpful to us are now so far away. If you get a chance, say a little prayer that we'll have an easier delivery and post-partum period. I would really appreciate it!!!

I really want to know...

Where does all of Kiddo's energy come from? And why don't Daddy-O and I get to have just a little of it? So not fair!