I'm not admitting anything!

First of all, I quit caffeinated coffee. That's my excuse reason for taking a few months off from posting. I do feel a lot better in general but I don't seem to have much of a personality left. Hmmm.
Also, during the glorious summer and fall months, well to be honest, I had better things to do. And now I don't. So let me fill you in a little bit...
Apple picking, usually a favorite, did not go so well. Mostly because Isaac was in a really bad mood and didn't want to actually pick anything. No apples, no pumpkins. All he wanted to do was take the hay-ride, which we did, twice.
Not surprisingly, his very favorite outing this fall was to the trolley museum. They have an event (every year I think) where you can ride the trolley to a field, pick out a pumpkin and then paint it. That was ok. The kids seemed to enjoy the painting a little bit, although not nearly as much as I thought they would. They wouldn't go near the bouncy house but they had fun running around the field. Isaac kept wanting to get back on the trolley but I was trying to draw out the experience a little bit because I thought that after that it would be a short ride back and the outing would be over. Not so. First of all, the ride back was longer than the ride there. It turns out that it is just a long straight track with a loop at the end where the trolleys have to queue up before they can all head back in the opposite direction.
Secondly, it turned out that we were allowed to ride the trolley as much as we wanted as long as we only took one pumpkin each. No problem.
So, we waited for the open-air trolley (extra exciting) to take us back to the station for a snack and bathroom break and then we waited for the open-air trolley to come back and pick us up for a second trip. And this trip had a fun little twist!
When we got to the loop at the end of the line (we were behind one trolley and waiting for two more to show up) newly-potty-trained Isaac informed us that he needed to pee...badly! There was no way he was going to make it until the trolleys started moving again let alone until we got all the way back to the station. Sooo...

Here's my advice:

1. Always sit in the very back of the trolley so nobody can see what you're doing.

2. Ignore signs that say not to bring drinks on a trolley ride (we honestly didn't notice the sign until later) so that you always have an empty soda bottle on hand.

If you follow my advice you may just have happy ending like we did instead of a puddly one.

Happy New Year!

The things we get excited about...

Isaac is potty training! In case you hadn't heard. Not so much training though really as him deciding that it's worth the trouble to use the potty. Since he's known how for a while I think. I knew my laziness instinct to wait would pay off!
So that's my parenting advice for today. If you have a strong-willed child, you may as well just wait for potty training to be his idea. Unless you love losing power struggles. And unless your definition of potty training means training yourself to clean pee off of everything BUT the potty. It's a lot less work. Except for emptying man-size poops out of the little potty into the big one...
Sigh... he's getting so grown-up. The only things left that he doesn't say quite right are hangaburgers (hamburgers), pecks (beaks, as in, Do those seagulls have crackers in their pecks?), and cries (he get's very upset when I wipe the "cries" off of his cheeks while he's having a tantrum). I really hope he doesn't figure those out too soon.
Gracie is talking up a storm now too. Some of her favorite words are NO! and MINE! She's completely spoiled rotten. Yesterday we tried AS HARD AS WE COULD not to laugh while her Daddy was speaking sternly to her. We really really wanted to be serious and make sure that she knew what she was doing was unacceptable. It didn't work. Her face... she brings new meaning to the phrase "too cute for your own good".
We got her sleeping well for about a week and a half and now she's got a bunch of teeth coming in and stays up half the night. This is both of them "waking up slow" as we say in our house. For me that involves a couple of giant cups of coffee but the sugar in a sippy cup of juice does plenty for them.

The Secret to my... uh, Insanity?

These pictures are a bit old (March probably?) but I've been wanting to share them. They were all taken on the same day. See if you notice a theme.

This one is a little bit hard to make out but look carefully at each of the items. This is the result of one of Isaac's passions... painting! Luckily this was with washable paint because he's even more enthusiastic about totally permanent craft paint!




This one is Grace and, I think, Bisquick. Not as bad as the time she dumped an entire bag of powdered sugar on the living room carpet though...



This is Isaac. He is standing behind the electric heater in our living room driving his toy engines through... any guesses?... baking soda!!! A whole box. Look at the heater and at the floor. Yikes!




Yeah, I need to get the lock fixed on the cupboard with all the baking supplies. Although they haven't been getting into it as much since we've been able to get outside.
So, that's my tip of the day I guess:
If the children aren't in the house, then they can't mess it up!

That's also the only way I know to keep the end of the day tidy-up to under 3 hours! And you wondered why I don't keep up with my blog...

If anyone has any ideas that are more helpful than mine, I'd love to hear them! :)

Crime and Punishment

I was sitting at the computer, also known as the time-suck machine, doing something very pointless important. Isaac was sitting behind me at the table eating a sandwich and Grace, well who ever really knows what Grace is doing?
Suddenly, "Ouch!" said Isaac. Loudly.
"What's wrong?" I asked, distractedly.
"Ouch!"
"What's the matter?!" I was starting to be mildly concerned.
"OUCH!!!"
"WHAT IS THE MATTER?" I said, raising my voice and finally turning around.
There was Isaac, still at the table and there was Grace, standing beside him and trying to steal his sandwich.
"That hurt my feelings," he said, referring to the attempted theft.

That kid cracks me up!

On another note, Gracie will be 15 months tomorrow. Sigh. My big big girl. She's saying a bunch of words now including her latest, "baby". I remember, distinctly, the first time Isaac said "baby". Which is funny 'cuz I don't remember much these days. I think it's just one of those words that sounds ultra-cute in the teeny-tiny voice of a one-year old. Grace also sings "baby, baby, baby, baby" to the tune (sorta) of the "Baby Signing Time" theme song which just melts my heart.
And guess what else 15 months old means? According to Dr. Dobson, it is the earliest you can begin discipline.
I've been waiting for this.... ;)

For Safety's sake

The gate by the stairs fell down yesterday and I, inexplicably, didn't put it back up right away. Then I sat down for 2.2 seconds to help Isaac with something and when I looked up I noticed that Gracie was gone. Of course I knew right away where she was. But I couldn't see her from where I was standing so I immediately thought that she must be up near the top, where the stairs turn the corner and are really really steep. The part where she always slips when I let her crawl up ahead of me (with my hands on her the whole time of course). So I sprinted for the stairs, all the while in the midst of a heart-attack. Before I could reach the top though, I heard a sound over the baby monitor. It was Gracie, playing happily in our bedroom (yes we still share). When she saw me, she gave me such a proud (and also impish) smile. I'm glad she was so happy because there goes another year off of my life!
Isaac, apparently, is trying to make up for the years he's shaved off of my life expectancy. I had taken out a bottle of cleaner and left it on the dining room table for later use. But Isaac spotted it and said to me, "Those are chemicals Mama. I don't want you to touch them."
Now that's advice that I don't mind taking!

Lights, camera, action, Wiggles!

Isaac's dear Nana got him a "Wiggles" dvd. I'm not sure that we needed to have the "Wiggles" in our lives. It was good strategy on Nana's part though, if she's wanting to spend more time with the kids. I mean, Hubby is going to need lots of help with them when the dvd drives me to the funny farm.
Ok, so having Wiggles songs stuck in my head 24/7 is annoying (Literally they are going through my head even while I'm sleeping. You know, for all of 20 minutes.) but they may actually be a good thing for Isaac. He is just so self-concious about dancing. Well, he actually doesn't really dance but he gets embarassed even when other people do (and not just his dorky parents). So that's why she got him the dvd. And yesterday he actually watched me dance along with the dvd and didn't even glower at me. And this morning I caught him nodding his head to the music for a few seconds. I'd call that progress. Worth my sanity anyway. Since I didn't have much left to begin with.
Speaking of progress, Gracie actually took a step all by herself yesterday! Go Gracie! There's good news about her sleep too! Well, not really good news... her sleep is as horrible as ever, but at least I've found someone new to blame. Early this morning, during her 648th(ish) waking, when she wouldn't go back to sleep, I finally turned toward her and peeled open my eyelids to find... the cat. She was licking Gracie or doing something equally entertaining. So I kicked the cat out of bed and I didn't even have to nurse Grace again to get her to go back to sleep. Which is good because I draw the line at 648 times per night. Usually. Unless I'm desperate.

Inside the Mind of a 2-year-old (or me)

"Mama," said Isaac as I searched for a computer game for him to play. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"I don't know," I said. "What are you thinking?"
"Sesame Street!"
Right. Of course.

Funny how the mind of a small child works. I mean, I used to make fun of Lunchables. You know, those prepackaged trays of cheese and crackers and (kinda gross) lunchmeat. Who in their right mind would pay all that money for something that they probably have at home already? Then last night I needed a really quick dinner idea that Isaac would actually eat and suddenly I had this idea to get him a Lunchable. Not only did he eat some of it but he was really excited. He kept talking about it. Who knew?
So anyway, to the inventor of Lunchables, I'm sorry I doubted you. You truly are a genius.
Come to think of it, I guess that's just marketing for you. That works on me too. I bought the shampoo that I'm currently using for no other reason than that the bottle is pink. And I do enjoy using it.
Sure, it makes my hair fall out but I do like looking at that pink bottle!
Just kidding. It doesn't make my hair fall out.
That could be stress right?





ps. Don't get worried my dear ones who are reading this. My hair isn't actually falling out. Just a joke!
Happy Monday!

More nutritious lunch choices

So the good news is that we're not eating as much mac 'n cheese these days. The bad news is that now Isaac is basically subsisting on Peanut Butter and Fluff sandwiches. Peanut butter and FLUFF! I'm embarrassed to even type it.
I'm not exactly sure how it happened except that I remember walking through the grocery store one day (I think while I was still pregnant) and seeing the fluff and remembering it from my days in daycare (where the only other things that I remember ingesting were oreos and kool-aid... in case you wondered why I don't send my kids to daycare!) and I wanted some. But I didn't buy any that day. In fact I didn't buy any for weeks even though it's right next to the peanut butter (which we buy every week) and the craving wouldn't go away. Finally I caved in and bought some for a treat, resolving not to let Isaac have any. Which lasted for exactly 2 seconds after he asked for a bite. So now he's eating "P-Fuff" for breakfast and lunch most days and would probably want it for dinner, you know, if he would actually eat dinner. One day he even finished his sandwich and then, while I was busy with Grace, he ate most of mine! Isaac! Ate almost 2 whole sandwiches! What do they put in that stuff anyway? Marshmallows and CRACK?! Maybe I should start slipping some broccoli in there between the fluff and the bread. Hmmm.....
Anyway, we will close on the house on Monday IF everything goes right between now and then. So stay tuned!

Just another day in Paradise

The forecast for today said it would be in the 90s! So I decided that if we were going to get out to play it would have to be in the morning before it could get quite that hot. My plan was good. When Gracie woke up from her morning nap, I'd get the kids ready really quickly and we'd have time to play before lunch. Except that I forgot that it takes a half an hour just to get us all sunscreened and bug-sprayed. And then I had to bring up the laundry from the basement and find the clothespins and everybody's hats and Isaac didn't want to put his shoes on until after he put his COAT on which he doesn't know how to do. Finally I convinced him that I'd help him with his coat once we got outside if he would just put his shoes on NOW! Of course he forgot about the coat as soon as we stepped out the door...PRAISE THE LORD! By then it actually was about lunchtime so I brought out crackers and cheese and turkey and peanut butter and we had a little picnic. Once the clothes were hung, the mail retrieved, the neighbors's cat chased away and his departure mourned ("Where kitty go be?"), I put away the stroller, 2 bikes, all the sandbox toys, and the lunch fixings and dragged us inside. Then came the removal of the sunscreen, bugspray, and sweat. Two baths, a shower, and a completely trashed upstairs later, the kids went down for their naps RIGHT ON TIME! GO ME!
Speaking of Supermama, I also took both kids grocery shopping BY MYSELF yesterday! I know, I know, I am completely crazy! But I got one of the carts with the car on the front and Isaac got a free cookie from the bakery, a free slice of cheese from the deli, and a new "Thomas" book (not free but worth the $4) and he stayed right in the cart and there were NO tantrums the WHOLE time! Well, there was one in the parking lot on the way out when he dropped part of his cheese and was so so sad that I wouldn't let him pick it back up (Him: My cheese!/ Me: I'll get you more when we get home/ Him: Me want that cheese!), but since that was outside of the store, I'm not countin' it!
So I guess it pays to be a little crazy once in a while. Like my cheesy but sweet husband always says when I tell him he's crazy, "Yup! I'm crazy about you!" And I am crazy about those kids! Which is a good thing since they're the ones that made me crazy in the first place...
Before I sign off (which I probably should do before I hurt my brain- I'm a little scattered today, huh?) I just wanted to give my Hubby some credit, you know since I've shared his shortcomings with the whole world (or at least all 5 of my readers). My birthday is this Thursday and I've already received a present from him! A wonderful, thoughtful present that I absolutely love but that I did not hint about, did not order myself, did not make the arrangements for him to order! I had nothing to do with it and it's an awesome present and it's here on time...EARLY even! Oh yeah, and it's a pair of PINK CROCS!!! Ok so they're the wrong size but that's only because he remembered my old size and didn't realize that 2 pregnancies had made my feet bigger. And he's doing all the work to exchange them for me! New shoes delivered to my door...what more could a girl ask for? I LOVE YOU HONEY!

So much for one-on-one time but at least I get to blog today!

I had vowed to myself today to spend more one-on-one time with Isaac. I was a little sad that I was going to have to give up some of my usual coffee and computer break during Grace's (too short) morning nap but Isaac has been acting a little bit more jealous of her and I think maybe he just needs some more attention from me. But then Elmo came on. And of course if it's a choice between listening to me jabber on or listening to Elmo's words of wisdom, well we know what Isaac's gonna pick! But I'm ok with that. Good morning sweet sweet coffee!
So this may not really be a very cohesive post but here are a few of the things that are on my mind.
Ya know how Isaac is saying new words all the time now? Well, a few minutes ago he was looking out of the glass door and got very excited about something that he could see outside. He came running over to tell me about it but I couldn't understand what he was saying. "Big ones" maybe? So I went to the door to see for myself and sure enough, there were 2 BIG crows hanging around the garbage cans (it's trash day!). "Oh yeah," I said, "those are some big birds aren't they?" But, as I turned away to go back to what I was doing, he said the word again. And this time I understood. Did you just say "PENGUINS"!? I almost didn't have the heart to tell him that he hadn't seen actual penguins but mere crows (albeit big ones!) My boy, you are too cute for words!
As for my girl, she is laughing all the time now! And it's a jolly little laugh, which is fitting for someone who looks so uncannily like a dwarf baby (storybook dwarf I mean, not to offend a real person with dwarfism) with those oh-so-round cheeks and the tufts of hair gracing her ears! Often she sounds a lot like a goat bleating but lately she's been doing whole peals of laughter too. They come out of nowhere, surprising us and of course absolutely melting our hearts. And guess who has turned out to be the funniest family member of all? Drumroll please... it's Isaac! Now, I have 2 theories about this. The first, which is the one that I like to believe, is that she just absolutely adores him and that they will grow up to be the very best of friends. The second, which is probably the more realistic of the two, is that she likes physical comedy. And Isaac provides plenty of physical comedy! Either way, he got to delay bathtime last night and jump on the bed for a little while longer because we just can't resist watching Grace laugh at her big brother!
I guess that's all I have for today. Isaac really wants me to play with him and I did promise myself...

and a partridge in a pear tree

Isaac slept terribly last night. It's not that unusual. We think it's because of teething, blah, blah, blah. The real question is why did I forget that so quickly? I was feeling pretty sorry for myself this morning wondering what did I do wrong with this kid? Is this really just the terrible twos? Is Isaac trying to torture me? Only after several small tantrums over none of the computer games being the one that he wanted to play, and him not wanting to let me close enough to the computer to try to help, did I catch on. Duh! He's really really tired. It didn't help that I hadn't had coffee yet.
Luckily Grace went down for her morning nap unexpectedly early. "There," I thought, "Now I can get dinner in the crockpot and give Isaac some attention and maybe that'll help." Do I need to say it? WRONG! SO SO WRONG!
Isaac started saying this word that he's been saying lately that I've not been able to translate before. At this moment I can't even remember how he pronounces it and to be honest, I don't think I could do it justice anyway. All I can say is that it always makes me think he's saying "Hepzibah". Today being my lucky day though (or so I thought) I finally figured it out. "OH! Popsicle?!" So, I got him a strawberry (fruit juice, no sugar added) popsicle, seated him at the table, stripped off his white t-shirt, and you should have seen that sunshiney face! I breathed a sigh of relief and basked in the glow of his beautiful smile. For 30 seconds. What happened next can, I think, best be described as several popsicle-related tantrums culminating (when it finally fell off the stick) in THE MOTHER OF ALL TANTRUMS!
Now, when tantrums occur, we have a way that we sometimes deal with them that involves removing the offender to his or her bedroom (ok, ok, I admit that we only use this for Isaac. My tantrums take place wherever I choose; this is not a democracy!) to work through it on his own. The method is pretty simple but it requires great discernment to decide when to use it. If the tantrum is just for attention or to get his way then it works beautifully. If he is really and truly upset then it will backfire because he will never, ever get himself under control on his own. It can be tricky to figure out which situation you're in at the time. This morning it wasn't; he clearly just needed a hug.
Too bad I felt more like paddling him. Nevertheless, I gathered his sticky little self up (meanwhile transfering the stickiness to Yours Truly) and put him in the bathtub. I cleaned him off, wrapped him in a towel, and held him tightly. Eventually the hysterics subsided and we went downstairs to watch "Thomas" and get back to work on dinner. But Grace was awake and the dvd player wouldn't eject....
The morning went on but I won't. I'll summarize.
This is my ten o'clock inventory: Unsatisfactory computer game experience addressed with multiple small tantrums, computer-game tantrums ignored, 2 keys removed from computer keyboard, timeout administered for removal of computer keys, keys replaced. 3 popsicles (or partial popsicles) consumed, transfer of sticky popsicle residue from popsicles to Boy to Mama completed, Boy cleaned, Mama still sticky, one MOTHER OF ALL TANTRUMS soothed, one Baby-nap finished. 2 partially thawed pork roasts, 2 dirty stove burner guards and a dirty frying pan needing to be cleaned before pork roasts can be further prepared. One cold cup of coffee, a microwave too raw-pork-germ covered to heat said cup of coffee in, a Mama who has not yet had a break nor a single sip of coffee, a broken dvd player, and a partridge in a pear tree.
Well, except the partridge in a pear tree. But with 7 and a half hours left of the day, who knows what could happen!
Have a great day everyone!

Blessed Beyond Measure

Isaac had his 2-year-old checkup on Tuesday. I don't usually like to bring both kids to the Pediatrician by myself because Isaac gets very nervous there and needs to be held. So if Grace needs holding (which happens often since she's just a wee little baby) then I'm screwed. Her last appointment was a nightmare. They came in while I was in the middle of nursing her so I had to pull her off mid-feeding for her checkup and she screamed the ENTIRE time. The nice Dr. had to yell so that I could hear those very important questions and reminders of hers like "You know not to let her drive the car yet, right?" and "Don't give her steak knives to play with already." Is this standard at all Pediatrician's offices? I think it must be some sort of government regulation or something because the Dr. always seems embarrassed and kind of apologetic about having to assume that I'm mentally deficient. Anyway, that appointment seems to have made Isaac even more nervous about the Dr. than he used to be. Not surprising since they were obviously TORTURING his sister!
So, back to this Tuesday. It went ok. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot, Isaac got worried. As usual, he didn't say a word or crack a smile the entire time. Just gave that poor physician's assistant the icy blue stare. Hmmm...maybe that's why they ask me the idiot questions? Obviously I'm doing something wrong since my child apparently doesn't speak or show emotions at all? Oh well. Like I said, the visit was pretty successful. I only had to hold both of the kids for about half the time and Grace wasn't crying so that made all the difference. Still, I didn't want to press my luck so we brought Daddy with us when we went back today.
Yup, back to the Pediatrician's office three days later. We played outside most of the day yesterday and when we were heading up for bed last night I noticed that Isaac's hand was swollen to about twice it's normal size! I gave him Benadryl but this morning it didn't seem to be any better so we took him to the Dr. It turns out that it was just a strong reaction to a mosquito bite and probably nothing to worry about. Sigh... At this rate they'll never stop asking me the idiot questions!
By now I'm sure you're wondering if I have a point. And I actually do although it's probably not what you think! My point is this.
I KNOW HOW BLESSED I AM!
I know how blessed I am to have these 2 beautiful children who make my days so chaotic! I know how blessed I am that when we went to the Pediatrician's office today, it was because of a simple bugbite! I know how blessed I am that I didn't have to think twice about taking him in because we have good health insurance! I know how blessed I am that I don't have to miss the over 10,000 hours that I would spend away from them in just their first 5 years if I had a full time job.
I'm reminded of how blessed I am EVERY SINGLE TIME that we're in public. When we're in a store, I can't go 20 feet without someone telling me how beautiful my children are. And EVERY SINGLE TIME it happens, I think how blessed I am that I get to take them home with me! One day when we were on our way out of Panera, a woman saw Doug walk by with one of the children and then saw me coming with the other and she asked me if they were brother and sister. I said yes and she said, somewhat accusingly, as if I must not realize, that I was really lucky. I didn't really know what to say. I think I just thanked her and kept going. I should have told her though. I should have said, "No! I'm not lucky! There was no luck involved here! I AM BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE AND I KNOW IT!"
Oh yeah, I'm also really blessed that the last time I had to give Isaac Benadryl (another bugbite) when the pharmacist told me the wrong dosage, that it was way too small a dose instead of way too big! No wonder it didn't work!



ps. Never mind the video. I wanted the song and that was all I could find. LOL!

Fun with Food

Do you ever have those moments when you're trying not to notice what your kid is doing because it's keeping him quiet and if you don't stop him then you might actually get to sit and drink your coffee (or blog) for 5 minutes? Then you accidentally look straight at him so you have to go ahead and admit that you're letting your kid take all of the spoons out of the silverware drawer and put them in the sugar dish. No? Me neither. I was just checking.
Seriously though, these are some things that I've let Isaac do just for a few minutes to myself.

1. Play with cups and water in the kitchen sink (with clean cups, not dirty ones!)

2. Play with oats.

3. Play with flour.

4. Peel the wrappers off of all his crayons.

5. Open a new box of crayons to peel because the old ones don't have any wrappers left.

6. Watch too much TV.

7. Peel the skin off of a garlic bulb.

8. Play with uncooked macaroni.


Ok, I'm starting to notice a pattern here. I think I'm going to need to make a donation to the food pantry at our Church this weekend to alleviate some guilt. It's a good thing he got a sandbox for his birthday! He does so love to scoop and pour!
Anyway, now that I've confessed, I just want to make an excuse explain. I'm really not a lazy Mom... just tired. There was this whole month between taking up caffeine again and finding out that I was pregnant again where I was such a good Mom. We even walked to the park almost every day! Then, BAM! The morning sickness hit and it was back to laying on the couch all day trying not to fall asleep on the job. But I digress.
I guess I just needed to remind myself that this really uninspired style of mothering is just temporary and more a product of the timing of my children's arrivals than a reflection of me as a mother. And since it was an accident on my part God's timing, I guess it will all work out just fine. Anyway, confession is good for the soul, right?
Gotta go! Trash truck is here!

WARNING! This post is really RANDOM!

I won't have time to write a whole post today since having company (which is pretty brave of me considering the state of the apartment! I guess the blog has helped me to turn over a new leaf: total transparency and embarrassing openness!) but I thought I'd just jot down a couple of updates.
First of all, on the discipline front, you know that the timeouts didn't work and the spankings didn't work, but a combination of the two seems to be working pretty well. He gets a timeout and if he gets out of the chair then he gets a swat with "the spoon". I call it the "hello-Supernanny-meet-Dr.Dobson" method. I guess that getting out of the chair and making your Mama crawl under the table to get you 700 times isn't as much fun if you get a spanking every time!
Secondly, I bought myself a Mother's Day gift and it's good! It's a new crockpot and not only is it BIG, but it's the fanciest crockpot I've ever seen! And when I say that it's fancy, I don't mean that it's digital or has a timer or any of that useful silly stuff. Oh no! My crockpot is GORGEOUS and RED!
Ok, that was going to be all but something funny just happened. Isaac got a little toy Thomas with a track for his birthday (more on that later) and just now the track came apart and Isaac asked me to fix it. (Incidentally, he's recently gone from calling Thomas toot-toot to calling him Thomees to now actually saying Thomas. I love it!) So I go over to fix it and the whole time I'm putting it together I'm totally bragging about how I've been practicing and I know just how to do it and how fast I can do it and the next thing I know, instead of me saying "Go Mama" like I normally would, Isaac said it for me! Yup, he said "Go Mama!" Twice! I felt like such a rock star! (I know. It's sad, sad, sad but that's my life!)
Anyway, I'll wrap this up now but maybe next time I'll tell you all about Isaac's big birthday weekend! If you're good.

Wacky Wednesday

Wednesday is a very important day to Isaac. Personally, I'm a fan of Fridays (pizza night!) and Saturdays (Daddy's home...and I'm not outnumbered by kiddos) but for Isaac, I think that it's Wednesday that holds the most excitement! Why, you ask? What could possibly be exciting about the absolute MIDDLE of the work week? Well, I will tell you.
Wednesday is TRASH DAY!!!
Not following? Trash day means that a big big truck drives right by the front of our house. And it goes just the perfect (very slow) speed for optimal viewing. Sooo, like the cat that wakes out of a dead sleep and comes running from the other end of the house the very second you even THINK about tuna, the call of the trash truck lures Isaac to the living room window. And me. There's just something so irresistible about seeing your child get that excited. So, on Wednesdays, I'm ready. When I hear that trash truck chugging by, I know that I have about 30 seconds to find a safe place to put Gracie, get Isaac's attention, scoop him up, race to the living room window, clear the Fisher Price farm off of the top of the toy bin, settle Isaac on the toy bin, and pull up the blinds, all before the trash truck finishes with the last house on the street (the one next to us) and starts back this way. And I do it. If racing-to-the-window-to-watch-the-trash-truck was an olympic sport, I'd win. Not because I'm athletic (I'm really really not!) but because I love my boy. (I really really do...I even know the names and numbers of all the main characters on "Thomas" and have been to the website to learn their back stories and all about the extra characters...scary, I know!)
So anyway, we have this little ritual. Isaac watches the truck and talks about it and sometimes the Garbage Men (Sanitation Worker? Is that more PC?) even wave to him and sometimes I can even convince him to wave back to his heroes. Then in the oh-so-pathetic voice that he reserves for the most tragic of occasions he says, "Trash truck 'way" over and over as the truck drives away.
This week it got even better. Wednesday was his BIRTHDAY! Nana and Grandad were over and all 5 of us were OUTSIDE when the trash truck came! So Grandad picked Isaac up and carried him closer to the truck. Nana grabbed her (ever present) camera and tried to get a picture of them with the truck. Then, once he had put our stinking, rotting mountain of trash into his truck, he even SPOKE to us and said, "Have a nice day." Wow.
So,I think Isaac might want to be a Garbage Man when he grows up. And I think it's a great idea. After all, a job that involves adoring fans and papparazzi must be a pretty glamorous one, right?

Happy Birthday Baby

My baby boy turned 2 yesterday! I don't want to burden you with more of my neuroses (or we could just call them eccentricities ok?) but I know from personal experience that if you lose your Mama when you're only 2, then you won't remember her. And since Isaac is almost my whole world and since we aren't guaranteed any amount of time here, I want to write him a birthday letter. Besides, even if I do live to be a Great Grandma, it never hurts to let your loved ones know how you feel about them, right? So here goes...


Dear Isaac,

You turned 2 yesterday. It's unbelievable how smart and grown-up you are! I'm not really sure what I want to say to you. I guess I just want to give you a little piece of "right now" since you're not going to remember it. I want to give you a glimpse into who I am at this moment and who you are and what we mean to each other. Maybe it will help you to understand me later when I'm driving you completely nuts!
It's so strange to me that you will grow up and not remember anything about the past two years! These 2 years which have been the best ones of my life so far! I'm sure you know why but I'll still say it. You have made them the best years I've had!
You are amazing! You are beautiful and smart, intense and funny, mischievous and charming. Sue likes to remind me that you have a good sense of humor already, and she's right. I can see it in those eyes and in that half smile that you do. I think, and I hope, that it might be similar to my sense of humor. We really "get" each other...
I've so enjoyed these first 2 years of your life. If I ever had any doubts that being a mommy is the best job in the world, you've wiped them out. Do you know that old song that goes "if I could save time in a bottle..."? No, I'm sure you don't. I know, I'm old, but if only I could save time in a bottle...I so would! I've heard that it's a good thing that our children grow up or we'd never be ready to let go of this Earth. It's so true. I really can't imagine how Heaven could get any better than this!
Anyway, I'm sure I'm embarrassing you with my gushing so I'll move on. I just want you to know that I treasure every single moment with you. You're a really good kid and I'm so proud of you. I'm so grateful to God for making me your Mama and to you for loving me and hanging in there with me! I've never done this before you know.
I know I've been taking my time getting to it but my bottom line, I guess, is this: I love you NO MATTER WHAT and I'm always on your side! You can count on me for as long as I'm living and when I no longer am... God will still be there. Always. That's my 2nd birthday message and that's my always-and-forever message. If there's one thing that I can teach you and if there's one thing that I want you to remember, that is it. I love you, love you, love you!

Happy Birthday Baby



Me And Jesus
Artist: Stellar Kart

When there's no where else to turn
All your bridges have been burned
Feels like you've hit rock bottom..
Don't give up it's not the end
Open up your heart again
When you feel like no one understands
Where you are...

Someone loves you
Even when you don't think so
Don't you know
You got me and Jesus
By your side
Through the fight
You will never be alone
On your own
You got me and Jesus

After all that we've been through
By now you know I've doubted to
But everytime my head was in my hands
You said to me...

Someone loves you
Even when you don't think so
Don't you know
You got me and Jesus
By your side
Through the fight
You will never be alone
On your own
You got me and Jesus

Hold on to what we got
This is worth any cost
So make the most of life that's borrowed
Love like there's no tomorrow

Someone loves you
Even when you don't think so
Don't you know
You got me and Jesus
By your side
Through the fight
You will never be alone
On your own
You got me and Jesus

Even when you don't think so
Don't you know
You got me and Jesus
By your side
Through the fight
You will never be alone
On your own
You got me and Jesus

You will never be alone...
You got me and Jesus

Ups and downses

"Motherhood brings as much joy as ever, but it still brings boredom, exhaustion, and sorrow too. Nothing else ever will make you as happy or as sad, as proud or as tired, for nothing is quite as hard as helping a person develop his own individuality especially while you struggle to keep your own."
Marguerite Kelly and Elia Parsons

I spanked Isaac with a wooden spoon today. I know, I know, some of you are going to think I'm a monster. Some of you probably think I'm a wimp for not doing it sooner. Nothing else was working. Nothing. And he was doing something dangerous. Repeatedly. The spoons were right there next to me and I've thought about it before and it seemed appropriate. I hated it. I really really did. But I believe that discipline is important. I believe that it's necessary for a child's sense of security. It's necessary in order to help him become a responsible adult. It's also necessary if he's going to make it to adulthood in one piece. I still hated it. And it didn't actually work. In the end, I resorted to another timeout and I don't know if that did any good. It was a very frustrating morning.
Then, a bit later Isaac said, "Drace try." Huh? I know try means cry... Drace cry? Oh! GRACE is crying! He said his baby sister's name for the first time! He says new words everyday now but for some reason this one just melted my heart. Truly, nothing could make me more proud or more tired!

Decisions, decisions...

Are other kids like this? I wake up to a beautiful day and think, "we should get out and get some fresh air and excersize." Go to all the trouble to get everybody fed and dressed and get some makeup on my face so that I don't scare any other small children that might be outside. Then when we finally get out there, Isaac wants to play in the car!? Because forget fresh air and excersize! Let's get out and spend some time in the one space more confined than our apartment? And it's not because he has a fascination with cars (he does). He's not pretending to drive or anything. Just climbing around the car, seeing what old food and forgotten toys he can find. Seems strange to me.
Of course I have to admit that I probably wouldn't be complaining if it was just the two of us. Sitting down?! In an enclosed space?! Instead of following Isaac all over creation trying to keep him from getting hit by a car or picking up dog poop or something?! And I'm off the hook as far as getting him out of the house?! Yeehaw! Sign me up! The only problem is that Grace doesn't agree. Once I stop walking, she starts wailing! So there I am sitting, holding her in a seat meant for one, trying to bounce her and cram that pacifier into her mouth while she screams and arches her back nearly catapulting herself out of my grip and onto the floor of the car, and I'm trying to decide which is worse, this or the tantrum that Isaac is going to throw if I drag him inside already. Inside I'll have more room to get away from the screaming but first I'll have to wrestle him out of the car. Tough choice!
Then I have a "lightbulb" moment! We'll nurse! Like we always do when I want to sit down (or sleep) and Grace doesn't. Of course, this is only going to contribute to the habit that she's developing, of nursing all the time whether she's hungry or not. The same one that helped Isaac learn not to ever sleep through the night until after he was a whole year old and weaned (he then started a habit of getting up for a drink from a cup in the middle of every night so once again he isn't sleeping through!). But I don't think this all through before I get her latched on (and really who can think while holding a screaming infant?).
So the decision is made. And it's relatively quiet for the moment. I guess for today, I'll just take it one moment at a time.

20 things

10 things I love about Isaac

1. He's always needed me a lot. You know, because he's scared of almost everyone else.

2. He's cute.

3. He's such a boy! He loves trains, trucks, buses, heavy machinery....

4. He's sooo busy! He never voluntarily sits down. It totally wears me out but it's fascinating to watch.

5. He loves his baby sister.

6. He's gentle with animals.

7. He loves to be read to and he loves the alphabet. If you know me then you know that this suits me just fine!

8. He can be pretty high maintenance...but for some reason I totally get that. ;)

9. He looks just like me. This is not just vanity (although there's probably a healthy dose of that in there too). He's my first biological relative (that I'm acquainted with) so it's really cool to have someone look like me.

10. He's my baby!



10 things I love about Grace

1. She doesn't need me as much. It's such a relief that I can leave her with other people when I have to!

2. She's cute.

3. She's a girly girl. I can tell already that she's going to like shopping! And she looks so good in pink!

4. Those cheeks!!!

5. She loves her big brother.

6. When she smiles at me, I fall in love every time.

7. She's a Daddy's girl...and I know he loves it.

8. She's a little lower maintenance than her brother. I'm so crazy about him but what would I do with two of them?

9. She's got spunk! Even though she's my more relaxed child, she's no blob!

10. She's my baby!

I'm not actually TRYING to screw up my kid, I promise!

Around here, we use the word "fart" a lot. Yes, this is partly because certain male members of the family happen to do it often (they do) but that's not really my point. I know there are plenty of other, less crude words that we could use. Here's why I say "fart"... BECAUSE I CAN! You see, when I was growing up I was not allowed to use the word... even as a teenager. And I thought it was a stupid rule. So now I say it as much as I want. FART FART FART FART FART! Ok, I'm done. Back to being a grown-up. Sorry.
Amazing isn't it? The lengths that I will go to for the sake of rebellion? Not that I'm proud of that...I've just come to terms with it. LOL! Here's where it comes back to haunt me. My sweet son, Isaac is A LOT like me, except with all that extra "boy energy" (if you have a little boy then you know what I mean!). So that is what I'm up against! Discipline so far has been...interesting.
Last week he was standing on the upside down bouncy seat. This ,of course, could break the seat so I told him to get off of it. He didn't. So I put him in time out. So far, so good. Then, a minute and a half into his two minutes, he started to sing. For some reason, I decided that he wasn't suffering enough and that he really needed to be sorry. So, I came up with a really really good idea (note the sarcasm). "Isaac," I said, "you can get down as soon as you tell me you're sorry. Say sorry to Mama."
This may seem reasonable to you if you don't know Isaac well. It seemed reasonable to me at the time. After all, Supernanny does it, right? Here's why it absolutely wasn't reasonable,

1. Isaac is a perfectionist (told ya he's like his Mama...poor kid!). He has only ever said the word "sorry" once in his life. And when he isn't sure about his ability to say a certain word, he doesn't try. He sometimes says a word and then waits weeks until he's ready to try again.

2. I don't really want him to tell me that he's sorry for doing something when he's really just sorry about being punished for it. I know I'm no Supernanny but after thinking about that a bit, it just doesn't sit right with me.

3. He's at least as stubborn as I am. And if you were to tell me that I MUST apologize or sit in the corner until I do, right or wrong, I would stay in that chair for a WEEK!

I had a lot of time to think about these things over the almost three hours that Isaac was in that chair. That's right, THREE HOURS (told ya we're stubborn)! And I'm sure I don't have to tell you how long that is for a not-even-two year old! Once I finally realized that it wasn't going to work (again, DUH), I still had a dilemma. See, Dr. Dobson says (I think Dr. Phil does too. LOL) that you must win decisively in these situations. So now I had to figure out how to get us out of this without admitting defeat (the same problem that would have kept me in that chair for a week as a child).
So, to be terribly anti-climactic, I gave in. I couldn't figure out how to end the whole thing gracefully so I risked possibly never being in control of the child and just ended it. The parenting experts would be very disappointed, I'm sure. You know what though? I think that giving up may have actually been my best decision of the day. My Dad always felt free to change his mind when he went overboard with a punishment. And I really appreciated it. And you know, I really respected him too.
So, I don't know if Isaac ever learned anything that day (maybe just that his Mama doesn't know what she's doing?) but I sure did!
I learned that from now on, I think I'll stick with spanking! It's a lot less traumatic for both of us!