Happy 4th of July

 I love celebrating the fourth of July with our family.  Last year, we began spending the day working our way through small town fun via Edmond's LibertyFest celebrations and this year we largely did the same with a BBQ party at Able & Kari's in the middle.

We arrived at the parade 10 minutes early, but it was already underway.  We couldn't quite make it across the street to Aunt Audra so we watched from the opposite side.  (Yes, I did get all my kids at least one piece of red, white, and blue clothing for the occasion.  I am finally stepping up my 4th preparations).

 Luckily, there were horses early in the parade as these are currentlya family favorite.

 I totally love E's shirt with the stars on the yoke.  He loved the parade, but also walked around us in circles fairly often. It was pretty hot, but we hung in there for about 1.5 hours (we apparently left with just a few groups remaining).

These two are adorable and aside for some parking frustrations for Brent had a good time taking it all in. 

Then we headed to Able & Kari's.  I cooked for the first 45 minutes or so, but probably should have just brought watermelon as that was clearly the favorite.  I think E and his budy Kady only had watermelon.  Our hosts made lovely chicken and banana pudding (the later was my favorite of the day).

 There was a lot of swimming in the "big kid pool."  M and Brody, in particular had a great time splashing and playing together. The Korenak crew joined us as well, but left slightly earlier for naptime and Grandma's house.

 Look, all three kids in one picture being cute!  After this we headed home for family naps, steak supper, and ParkFest/Firework prep. There are only snow cones and BBQ at ParkFest so we provisioned ourselves accordingly and added more sunscreen.

7:20pm - We drove across Edmond listening to Sousa marches, which is a family tradition.  We quickly found a perfect viewing spot, and began our trek across the UCO campus.  Have I mentioned I love college campuses (and these two guys too?)

 First stop - snow cones.  Of course moments after this everyone had snowcone juice on their whites, but it was worth it.

 B loves that they have make your own flavor and he had a whole rainbow going on his snowcone.

E prefers to taste all the flavors and mostly shared with everyone although technically he had his own that ended up mostly being Brent's.

 There is a lot of waiting in line involved.  The bouncy houses and rides are free, but there are just a few compared to the number of attendees.  We were wandering through lines for 2 hours and went on 2-3 rides/bouncy things per kid.  Line standing can be fun too if you have a bunch of tired kids :)

 Bouncy house #1

 Of course they blasted through in seconds.

 More waiting in line.  B & M rode their first carnival ride.  I think called the wrecking ball, with Brent after a long wait.  Luckily the timing just worked as they were on the next to the last riding group of the night.

Then we went back to the minivan, folded down the back seats (cleaned up a bit, ahem) and then had some people in chairs and some inside as we watched 30 minutes of beautiful fireworks.  E didn't know what we were waiting for and seemed to think we were waiting for stars to turn on, which was humorous.  He did climb in and out of the van between us and his chair quite a bit, but otherwise seemed to have a great time.  No tears all around and lots of fun.  We even made it home much more quickly this year.  It was a wonderful 4th of July celebration in Edmond and continued into the weekend at the farm.  To be continued...

Ten on Tuesday: DC Edition

1.  I made it to DC-- although with some flight troubles as usual.  I should probably just add those two extra hours in to my thought process every time.

2. I made these blondies by smitten kitchen and added cranberries and chocolate chips.  They disappeared from my office in record time! http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2006/11/blondies-for-a-blondie/

3. I had dinner with my cousin Rachael and her husband Dan this morning. It was lovely.  They are expecting a baby boy in the fall and there is much to discuss and anticipate!  I gifted them with a baby hippo stuffie, random, but appropriate for my time in DC.

4.  At home, Brent participated in science day with the 1st graders on Monday.  The presentation included several explosions, quite a bit of mess, and a bit of people crashing in to each other by the end (they were being states of mater of water molecules and you know how excited the molecules get when water evaporates...)

5. M & E had Mother's Day Tea at their school yesterday and today. I went yesterday and had a lovely time.  E went to both rooms with me for extra doughnuts and both made me lovely handprint art. I love handprint art as I rarely remember to do handprints and like having the size of their hands right now captured.  I hear Grammie and Granddaddy had a similarly lovely time today.

6. Things are blooming in our garden!  We have some yellow daisy like flowers in the vegetable garden and probably more than 100 rose blooms at any given time in shades of pink, yellow, orange and white.  LOVE it.  There are also a few assorted other flowers that are joining the party.

7.  We had family pictures on Saturday with Heather.  This time we did less posing and more playing -including a picnic breakfast, playing in the garden pond and exploring the Secret Garden exhibit in the children's garden.  I loved it.  You should head over there this week to see the Secret Garden as by next week it will be gone!

8.  Big thanks and cheers for the 1/2 dozen or so people that will help us through this week in my absence we so appreciate your assistance!

9. We had another work day at the farm.  Very hot and windy.  My knee injury (oh, I haven't mentioned that, I am injured again...) put me on watching little boys duty, but everyone else made big progress and got very hot and dirty. I didn't see my mom on actual mother's day so her presents are still at my house.  That said, I am so very thankful every day for her in my life and for being close enough to spend so much time together.

10. Today was the 52nd consecutive day of exercise.  The days since last Thursday's knee injury appeared have been harder and more frustrating--- lots of yoga and pilates while avoiding problematic poses and adding in new knee exercises.  That said, glad I'm still doing it.  Now, if I would just make better food choices!

With that I'm off to sleep.  Have a wonderful week!

Joke Videos

During Week in the Life in 2011 it appears I made a lot of random videos and am LOVING rediscovering them now.  Here are some of our "joke" videos from the week.

It's bad when my off the cuff knock-knock jokes aren't even funny to small people, right? Note the fake laugh from B?  Oh well, totally delighted to have these moments captured. 

Ten on Tuesday

1. Happy Birthday to Marilyn and welcome to the world baby Pierce who was born this morning to Tracie's sister Kylene and her husband.  So happy for both birthday ladies and their families!

2.  My sister and LZB (Lil' Zaney Boy) came to visit this weekend.  We had great times at the farm.  I baked bread and made other random concoctions, mixed in with occasional naps and child watching.  I had some great chats with my Grandpa, watched some gymnastics, and ate some lovely birthday cake. The weather was gorgeous on Sunday so we ventured out to see the baby calves, tour the Reisen farm, and play outdoors at my Mom's house.  So much fun.  I so wish I had been feeling a bit better, but was a great birthday celebration.   I have lots of pics (sitting on my camera somewhere) so likely more on this when I get those sorted out.

3.  On my actual birthday, my brother showed up in the morning and took me to breakfast (very good timing as was having a not so great morning up until then).  The kids made me birthday cards and Brent bought me a new flash for my camera.  In the evening, we had dinner at Humble Pie with Able and ice cream afterwards.  A long, busy and family filled day.

4.  One of the great bonuses of my birthday was getting to spend the evening talking to my dear friend Heather.  It had been far too long and I always so much better after our visits. A great birthday present for me!  Luckily, I got to talk to several other friends throughout the week and felt much loved.

5.  On Friday, I met some friends and my sister in Norman for dinner (after a very, very slow drive there). Then, we watched the #2 ranked OU Women's gymnastics team pull off off a come from behind victory over Alabama.  Finally, gelato and a nice talk with my sister on the way home.  A long, but happy day.

6.  My body is driving me nuts.  My costochondritis seems to have returned, kind of.  Mostly, my left shoulder really hurts, but weirdly at odd intervals other things hurt a lot too, but not according to any prior pattern.  Also, as of Saturday/Sunday I suddenly have WAY less energy than just days before.  It could just be that the baby is growing or I'm nearing the start of the third trimester, but it is weird and frustrating.

7.  I, happily, returned to scrapbooking this afternoon after a week's hiatus.  I discovered that the February Studio Calico kit precisely matches M's 1st Easter pictures and happily recorded some of those memories while B played Plants v. Zombies and Brent and M enjoyed gymnastics.  A very good evening for everyone even if it was largely a result of my random symptoms keeping me from gymnastics.

8.  Recipes: I didn't cook as much this week with all the festivities, but we did try this Easy Lemon Chicken recipe.  I, weirdly, could not find the required Italian dressing mix that I know we bought, but subbed in ranch dressing mix and it was quite tasty.  I wanted a bit more vegetable in with the sauce somehow so we'll work on that next time, but it was certainly easy in the crock pot and popular with my crowd.

9.  Pregnancy: I think I might finally be starting to think about nesting.  My house really needs me to think about nesting.  My tentative list of things that I'd like to do is: 1) obviously make the nursery somehow more masculine and "his" than it is now as it still feels very much like M's, which is confusing everyone; 2) Paint the walls in the main areas of our house; 3) Make the shared bedroom have a bit more of M's favorite things in it -- so storage for her clothes, repainting and adding some more girly art or curtains, in moderation, of course.  Here's hoping we get at least some of that done.

10. I keep almost believing it is spring.  Things are greening up everywhere, trees are blooming, and temperatures keep wandering into the 70s.  Somehow, I'm sure that there is one sneaky snowstorm somewhere that is going to freeze everything, but if there isn't I'm forced to accept it may be a very hot summer.  Let's home it is just going to be lovely and in the 70s for months on end, ok? Next week, perhaps I'll start working on our garden in earnest.

Have a lovely week!

Romance

Sometimes, romance is buying the one you love something totally random that she doesn't appreciate that she needs, until the day she really does. Sometimes, that is 16 heart-shaped handwarmers that get shared, held and loved as blizzards of snow engulf Oklahoma.

Sometimes I am more aware of romance when my own dear love isn't there to hold my hand.

This week, as I stepped off the subway at Clarendon I saw an old, frail, rumpled man holding two red roses in full bloom. As I climbed the escalator, I imagined they might be for his sweetheart of many years, or a small, delicate granddaughter, maybe even his own grown daughter after a busy day at work. Wouldn't it be dreamy to get two red roses on a random Wednesday from a man you've loved for decades?

On my way back to Foggy Bottom I noticed a couple kissing on the metro platform. The man, I hesitate to call him that as he seemed quite young and almost frail, was slightly taller. His lady's head was tipped up to reach him. I watched them kiss and lean into one another. I remembered the times that this had been us standing on this platform. We had been young, in love, oblivous, and I tipped my head back and reached up on tip toes to kiss my then new husband. It seems like minutes ago and decades at once, but is really somewhere in between.  Who knew how romantic a subway ride could be.

Sometimes, romance is arranging for a date evening even when you're sick, as Brent did on Saturday. He set up a movie date for us, complete with the kids staying over with his parents. He was nearly too sick to eat anything, but committed to seizing the moment as our schedules overflow for weeks to come.

Sometimes romance is just holding hands, looking at each other and knowing that come what may you are in it together and somehow it will be OK.  Sometimes it is knowing the curve of those fingers, the warmth of that skin as well as you do your own.  Sometimes it is loving and being loved simply, completely, without show, daily.  Sometimes romance is the everyday and sometimes it is the extraordinary.  My hope is that you can find romance in the little ordinary moments with the ones you love today and every day.  Happy Valentine's Day!

Love Thursday: Parenting Together

It is a rainy, quiet day here in OK. A good day for reflection and thanks. Today, I'm feeling so blessed and loved to be parenting with Brent. We are a match of complementary styles. We met very early in life and have been together for more than a decade. In that time, we've faced all that life has thrown us together. We've grown up and made our careers, own home and our own little family. I love the journeys we've shared and am loving this phase too. Simple little things like holding hands while we hold our children and shared knowing glances that give us the strength to continue when we're tired or frustrated. We draw strength from quiet "I Love Yous" in the night as we take our turns with M. Brent finds me interesting links that keep me thinking and I update him on the day here.

We have much different personalities in many ways and different styles, but we "get" each other and feed off each other. I think our children will be better for it. We are each strength for the other and our family is much stronger as a result. Being a parent is a big step in a relationship and a huge life-long responsibility and blessing. It should not be entered lightly, but we've never doubted the other and delight in sharing this challenge and wonderful together. That is my Love this Thursday.

Love Thursday: Baby Magic

Since last Thursday's post on the wonders of infants I've been paying attention to live with baby Maggie to see if I missed anything. I think overall I caught the normal things in our day, but discovered one big blessing of new babies--- their impact on the world around them.

Babies have this magical power to make the world around them a happier place. Janna noted this week that her pregnancy makes the women around her happy with shared memories and the promise of new life. I loved her post and thought she did a great job capturing some of the special moments of pregnancy.

New babies have a similar and perhaps even broader impact. The picture here was taken within moments of our arrival at the Richards/Rouse belated Labor Day party last weekend. All the people there when we arrived flocked immediately to Maggie. They smiled, they laughed, they shared memories of their own kids and wondered about her growth. They came from many generations, male and female all touched by their family's new little one.

It was amazing and so touching, but far from isolated. Random people stop me to ask to peek into my sling to see her sweet face. People smile, compliment, ask questions and offer help. Our days are full of little gestures and big smiles from people we know and people we've never met. On a personal level, this is wonderful as we try to handle all the challenges that come with a new baby, but I think maybe it is bigger than us. The magic of babies is in their individual sweetness, but more than that they bring a sense of promise of new life, beauty, renewal and innocence. All of this is needed in a world that is sometimes scary and hard. I feel truly blessed to bring this little bit of joy into people's day and thank Maggie and all the other little ones for sharing their magic with us.

Love Thursday: Babies

I think we've always been pretty clear that Brent and I are not baby people. Don't get me wrong, we love our little ones, but this infant phase just isn't our favorite. I'm not the girl that sees an infant at a party and has to hold it. Not sure why, it just is that way. That said, there are some wonderful things about infants and today I'm going to focus on those to remember later and in those moments where we're frustrated, tired, or wishing time would pass. We're lucky to have been blessed with some sweet wonderful babies and are trying to savor this time as much as those to come.

Things I Love about infants:

- Incredibly soft, wonderful hair, perfect for snuggling. I may not hold other people's babies a lot, but if you'll watch you'll notice I do pet their little heads. I like to think they like it too:)

- The warm weight of your infant sleeping on your chest.

- Snuzzling/Nuzzling - this is when they rub their sweet warm little heads against your neck, face, shoulder, etc. Just magic love.

- Cupping their head in your hands, particularly when they are looking up at you. (Hmmm.... apparently I have a thing for baby heads.)

- The sweet cooing noises where they first seem to be talking to you.

- The intriguing fascination with ceiling fans.

- When they appear to recognize you and seem delighted when you appear.

- In those first early nights when mysteriously I have the super power to quiet them just by talking and realize they know my voice before they are born.

- Those very first smiles that light up their faces.

- Tiny soft clothes and snuggly warm blankets.

- Little sucking noises as they drink.

- Tiny hands holding your finger. I particularly love just now watching Maggie hold her Daddy's hand.

- Watching them hold their heads up and peer around. It is their first neat trick and helps them explore their world as well.

- Wrapping them in your arms and holding them close against your body allowing the full length of them to be cozy against you.

- Carrying them in a sling/carrier snuggly and warm.

- Tiny toes and fingers.

- The most incredibly soft skin, particularly their hands and faces.

- Listening to their breathing change as they slip into sleep.

- Watching them learn and grow each day as you learn together about your shared world.

Ok, so maybe infants are pretty awesome. These two definitely are. I know I will miss sleeping with Maggie on my chest even though I chafe against it sometimes now. I distinctly remember the last time B slept with me in my chair. It was last December and he was a little sick. He had grown from small snuggly boy covering only my chest to gangly boy sprawled all over me. I wrapped us in a blanket and held him close knowing we might not pass that way again and crying just a tiny bit.

You little ones are my love this Thursday.

Love Thursday: Words

I am a serious word nerd. I love them, make my living off of them, read them voraciously, and am continually fascinated by them. Way back when Brent and I were dating he used to tell me how attractive he found my vocabulary. We are truly that nerdy. I LOVED it. I had been made fun of for being smart and using big words for years and years. I think pretty much no teenage boy at PiHi found a big vocabulary attractive so Brent was an awesome discovery. Recently, words have re-emerged in a couple humorous and special ways:

1) First the funny - Brent and I have a bit of a word disagreement. I find I occasionally use "faux" or comingled words such as "ginormous" and "chillax." These words made of two other words - Gigantic + Enormous and Chill + Relax, respectively. I enjoy them as they are fun to say and would argue that somehow they are stronger than either of the individual words that make them. Brent, however, argues that each component word means the same as the resulting word so there is no point making a new word when either of the existing words would suffice. This recently led to rounds of hilarity at our house as I found myself explaining to Maggie that it is OK to just "chillax" sometimes -- you know, hang out, not crying, just being quietly with us. I felt compelled to explain that her Daddy thinks that word doesn't exist and shortly thereafter we were both explaining our point of view to a one month old, right...

2) Brendan's expanding vocabulary - As discussed in my earlier posts it grows and grows. Sometimes it is funny, sometimes sweet and occasionally sad. I will always treasure his little sayings of the moment as they change so quickly. For months we heard all about "Thomas the Tank Engine" I can still hear the inflection in my head, but it isn't something he says much now. We've moved on to "Baby sisters crying" and "KaChow-KaPow" among others. I know these too will be short lived and wonder what fun words and sayings are up next.

3) Just Us - Things are a little chaotic with two still so we're often in divide and conquer mode when we're both here. This usually means each of us has a kid we're trying to play with/help/feed/bathe, etc... This means we're less physically present both when awake and when sleeping as often one or the other of us is up with Maggie or sleeping with her. Therefore, we fall back to our experience with being apart and make the words count. We call during the day or talk on google chat. We catch up in quiet moments and say the words that matter. Sometimes "I Love You" has multiple meanings from wistfulness to I'm sorry to the sappier side of things. We need it and find our closeness through brief words in shared moments.

Words are big for us and they are my love this Thursday.

Love Thursday: My Mom

(OK, so its Friday, but who's counting?)

This week my Mom has been a tremendous help. She came on Tuesday to help with B as I was out of energy and stayed through the chaos of that night through Thursday evening when she headed back for book club. Her being here and being able to take all these days to spend with B and I has been such a blessing. I've even gotten to take a nap every day! I'm not sure what I would have done otherwise as my energy levels are rather sporadic. Sometimes I'm fine and I'm sure B and I would have worked it out, but with her here he is getting to spend his last days as an only child on fun adventures with Grandma not just sitting around with his tired mom.

This morning, she surprised us all by returning to help out again today. It was perfect timing as I'm very tired and achy this morning and can feel the headache returning. Currently, she and B are off getting doughnuts together while I try to rest and drink lots of water. It is one of those things where I'm sure I "could" make it what with my aversion to "can't" but it definitely made the week much better for all of us. I feel so incredibly blessed that she has been here with us, watching B, helping and encouraging me, and sharing in our voyage this week.

We cannot thank you enough Mom, you have made the difference between a tough, tired week and a wonderful one for all of us. We love you!

Love Thursday: My Home Spa

When pregnant with B, I got lots of back rubs, feet rubs, etc. from Brent as we entered this last uncomfortable phase of the pregnancy. This time, B has joined in the fun. For pretty much his whole life he's been covered frequently with lotions and ointments due to the ongoing skin issues so he's a pretty big fan of lotion. Most days now one or the other puts lotion on my feet, legs or tummy for me. Brent is obviously much more the expert, but B sure is cute. B over does it a bit sometimes, but is nothing if not enthusiastic. Both of them are doing a great job making sure I get some rest here and there and am suitably pampered. Sometimes its just little things like filling up my never ending glasses of water, finding the phone, or letting me nap while they play. Nice to get some spa treatment at home from both my guys as I enter these last few weeks. Thank you boys. I love you!

Love Thursday - My Tickle Monster

My parents have this fabulous big blue ball. It has a really weird texture as it is covered in many soft blue strands that feel sort of like odd hair all over. To make things even more interesting there is a light inside that lights up when you shake it. This has become our official "tickle ball." It is largely self-explanatory, but a great time. Here are some shots of B as the tickle monster.








That said, B has become quite the tickler in general. It may have started long ago with Grammy's feet (one of his favorite targets still). Now, he tickles me to "wake me up" after he has instructed me to go to sleep. He tickles baby sister, daddy, uncle able and really anyone who will come within tickle range when he's in one of his tickler moods. Sometimes he gets a little aggressive, but mostly it is just completely adorable to see the little mischievous grin on his face as he prepares for his next victim. Just love it!

Love Thursday: Baking

I am definitely in the nesting phase (still?). The most recent manifestation is more and more baking. I would like to be making things and decorating, but mostly need help for those so I'm waiting for my helpers to come over the next few weeks. Meanwhile, I'm doing some minimal gardening and lots of baking. I find it rather cathartic to make something out of things we just have around. One of my recent endeavors was Custard filled Cornbread from A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table. This recipe was FABULOUS and my entire dinner yesterday drizzled with maple syrup. The one caveat being that it is a little gooey in the middle, intentionally, so if you don't like that texture it probably won't work, but I absolutely loved it.

Today's trial run of Chocolate Caramel Cookies was just OK. I found these random caramel bits at Target today and was convinced they had to go in some cookies. These were fine, but not out of this world like the cornbread experiment. I've also made the Cheddar, Pear, Bacon, Pecan bread from Bon Appetit which I mentioned earlier and Fig Coffeecake Muffins from The Ultimate Muffin Book: More Than 600 Recipes for Sweet and Savory Muffins. Both were fine. I tinkered a bit with the Bread recipe and probably should have left it alone as it was so perfect before. Luckily the guys love carbs although B hasn't been cooking quite as much with me as usual which is a little sad, but I assume it is cyclical.

In any case, definitely feeling this need to create tangible things and love the experiment that is food. What's making you happy this week?

Love Thursday: Simple Things

Tuesday was all chaos and fun and excitement. Wednesday, was calm and somehow perfectly wonderful too. We spent the first part of the morning with the Wainrights. Chrissie and I fixed up our craft project including a fun trip to Michaels with Serenity while B and Eric played ball with the new T-ball set from Brian. We chatted, listed to tunes, and played with the maracas and then it was time for them to head home. We were sad to see them go. B and I lingered outside after smiling and waving just enjoying the day. After playing in my car awhile we decided a little drive was in order.

Of course, I had no shoes on so the only choice was Sonic! (Another thing to love about being home). When we got home. I opened the garage door and sat down to watch B play in the front yard. Much to my happy surprise a short while later he plopped down next to me and we just sat awhile, sipping our drinks, waving at cars and enjoying some gorgeous weather. We shared, talked and just sat. Amazing, but having him plop himself down there was just the sweetest little gesture to me.

Late in the afternoon, Brent came home and we played outside, took pictures, and talked about the day and impending summer. The temperature reading climbed to 90+ degrees and somehow, even though it was April, I was sure it was the first day of summer. We had our simple super and then to celebrate had first of summer ice cream at Maggie Moos. Because we're nuts we got our little guy this astonishingly blue ice cream that was cotton candy flavored and tasted pretty much like straight sugar. (Special treat! I promise not routine).

Brent went back to work (and came back shortly as the kids were at an event) while B and I had splashy bubble bath time and headed to night night. Other than an unusually lovely morning with friends it was a pretty normal day, but some how seemed so sweet, and wonderful. As much as I love the fast pace, juggling a million things and running in all directions the simple sweetness of the first day of summer sipping sonic drinks on my driveway is pretty incredible too. Those little things we might otherwise overlook in all the busy that is our life are my love this thursday.

Love Thursday: Tickle Time!

B is finally really grasping tickling. He used to be a bit too violent, but now he's just about perfected it. The cutest part is the build-up to the actual tickle as he advances slowly towards the intended victim fingers waiving. Last weekend we had lots of tickling. My two favorite episodes were gentle tickles with cousin John at Grammy's house and a tickle pile at our house later that evening. It is so fun to watch B and John interact. Brendan is a bit pushy in the way older kids often are with the littler ones, but we're working on it. He did a great job gently tickling and got tickled in return. Miraculously I actually had a camera at hand to capture the moment here.

Later that day, just before bathrime, B insisted we go to "Mama's room." We all piled on the bed complete with pillows and his blanket. After a little snuggling, he proceeded to take turns tickling each of us (and we him). This also led to some jumping on Mama and Daddy. I asked if he wanted to tickle the baby and he agreed, but required that I "open it" (lift up my shirt) as apparently ones doesn't get good quality tickling through clothes. We were all in giggles together in one big pile. Those are the sweet moments to capture and hold close in the midst of the slightly less sweet ones. My little tickle bear is my love this Thursday.

Love Thursday: Mama Gets Played / I can't sleep

As you know my little guy has an amazing and well-deserved reputation for being an awesome sleeper. Yesterday, I think a bit of being two crept into the mix. At naptime, we had a little trouble going down (Ok screaming crying), in part I think because we woke up rather late, but a couple books with Mama and he was ready to go.

The evening was another story. Brent has "dorm duty" on Wednesday which mean he comes home a little early and heads back to work around 7:30 returning around 10:30. Usually, we just move up B's night time schedule so he is bathed and in bed when Brent leaves. Brent and I were both feeling sick and lazy yesterday so that didn't quite get done. I was fine with it and said I'd just handle it and to go on to work (time got away from us and we suddenly realized he needed to leave in 10 minutes).

Bathtime went fine and so did getting into jammies. We said good night to all the trains, got his blanket and cup and headed to bed. He started to cry and whimper a little, and I was wary after naptime. First, his diaper was too tight so we fixed that. Then, I started to leave and he said (or I understood him to say) that his pants were hurting his feet. So I took them off, but then his feet hurt. There were red bumps there which is kind of normal with B as this is where his eczema often shows itself. So, I got some medicine, put it on and talked about how it would take a couple minutes to work.

Then, his toes were hurting. (Are you begining to see a pattern??) So, I clipped the big toe nails which were kind of long and looked like they might get ingrown. Then, I tried to put a different pair of PJ pants (or any other pants) on but he wasn't having it. At this point, I decided that was all that I could do so I had him help me turn off the light, laid him down (sans PJ Pants), explained about using the sheet if he got cold and left.

I think I made it about 4 minutes before the wailing "Mama" got to me. I went in and he rushed to the door PJ pants in hand (obviously). So we started to put the pants on, but he exclaims that he has to go potty. I acquiese because we are trying to work on this and he does in fact to potty. Back to his room we go PJ pants on. Meanwhile, we've discussed what he's scared of (who knows, sounded like cereal or ceiling maybe). He has been looking a little worried. I lay him down and offer to stay for a few minutes. I sit there, say a little prayer over him. He wiggles and isn't sleeping, but finally I go and he is mostly quiet.

This whole saga has taken maybe 45 minutes. In the midst of this series of complaints it all seemed logical, but when stepping out of the room it became clear we'd had our first bought of one more story, one more glass of water, one more not going to sleep stalling tactic. Wow, snuck up on me.

About 9:30 or so I go in to check on him. My eyes haven't adjusted to the dark so when I reach to pat him I'm surprised to discovere he is awake with his head resting in his hands just sitting there. (I continue to wonder how much time he spends quietly sitting in the dark in his room). We talk a little. I wipe his nose and promise to come back latter to make sure he gets to sleep. Just nuts! Around 10:20 or so Brent gets home and checks and of course he's sleeping blissfully.

Totally frustrating and weird, but love the little guy even as he tests his boundaries as it demonstrates how much he is learning and growing. Today, naptime has started almost perfectly so probably not a complete shift in behavior, but a fascinating development that I suspect we've both learned something from---- lets just hope I catch on faster next time!

Love Thursday: Dr. Appointments

Since we've arrived in OK and I've switched to part-time, I am officially queen of the Doctor appointments. I did most of them before, as Brent's commute was horrible, but I don't think Brent has even met our new pediatrician yet, which is becoming weird as I see him almost weekly this month. As you've probably gathered, within about 5 weeks this spring the three (or four) of us will have about nine appointments give or take. Over time, I've gone from dreading these to them being Brendan and I's little adventures. He won't come on all of them, but most of them are for him. He knows about going to the Doctor and is generally excited and ready to go when I tell him it is time.

With each new office we get to explore, check out the fish, particularly Nemo. (For those unaware, there are very often fish in Pediatric offices). We read the brochures try out the doors, play with water fountains, watch a little tv and eventually make our way to the exam rooms where there are more toys to discover. At his pediatrician's office we're on a first name basis with the nurse who will usually save our "favorite" room for us if she knows we're coming. His favorite room is the one with the basketball and hoop. He also knows just where the crayons are in that room. He is OK with the fish room as they are fun to a point, but was not impressed with the clown room that a substitute nurse had us in last week. The eye doctor had great toys too and was a good change of pace after many weeks at the other office.

I think him being comfortable with the whole situation makes it easier for both of us now as does having a great rapport with his Doctor. I have no idea why exactly, but B really seems to like him which is good for all of us. It almost makes up for the fact that if you have an appointment after say 9:30am you are almost destined to wait a very long while. Last week though, we had an afternoon appointment and were out in record time so perhaps this is improving too.

Next week will be his first dental adventure with the pediatric dentist so I'm sure I'll have lots to report. In the meantime, getting to have these moment with him is a surprisingly sweet part of our time now. I would, however, trade them for a well boy. He seems to be feeling much better and we had a really good day on Wednesday. I think we're both settled back into our routine. He is, most of the time, such a sweet wonderful boy and we feel so blessed! The little sweet moments are my Love this Thursday.

PS. new cute phrase -- I'm a messy boy --- generally said when he needs to be washed up after eating (learned it from Daddy). Whispered softly when mama was on the phone with her boss. He's awesome.

Love Thursday: Bath Time Time!

As I've mentioned Brent and I have developed baskets of things we usually handle with B. Somehow, and much more so since I've been working from home, bath time is daddy time. I am usually there, watching, but not always. Watching them together is pretty funny. It is amazing how much B has evolved from the crying baby when my mom and I gave him his first bath to the adorable splash happy boy of today.

For some reason that I think started with Brent, we've been calling bath time "Bath time time" forever even though it doesn't make much sense, but it is our little fun. B plays with toys in the bath to varying degrees, but is usually most enamored with a cup or bottle to pour things. Recently, we've been having bubbles more and he loves them. He puts them on this body, blows, them, splashes Daddy, pours them all around, and is generally still covered when he steps out of the bath.

He is taking an increasing interest in his Rubber Duck Bath Book that Emily got him and practices saying the words after us. He also now "swims" in the tub either on his tummy or back kicking his legs and relaxing in the water.

I love watching this special Daddy/Boy time. They both seem so happy and have such fun with simple little things. B always runs around naked afterward and comes to tell me about their adventures if I haven't participated. So adorable. I love it!

Love Thursday: Dish Duty

At our house our tasks seem to fall into separate buckets. Over the years, dish duty has fallen into Brent's bucket just as somehow Doctor appointments have fallen into mine (we have about 8 appointments between us in the next month!). Tuesday evening B decided it was time to do the dishes. The coolest part was this time he was actually a help and put away many of the low things himself. It was so cute to sneak and watch them work together and listen to Brent carefully explain how doing the dishes work. B seemed to struggle with the concept of putting the dirty ones in before the soap and tried to put some of the clean ones back in. Putting the soap in is his favorite part I think. I do love Daddy and boy time and this was so incredibly cute and helpful! Gives me hope that he'll be doing chores and able to help out more in the not so distant future. For now, it is particularly neat that he seems to really enjoy his tasks and does them happily. Would that I could bottle that for years to come!

Love Thursday: Blankets

B and I LOVE blankets. B has a lot of crocheted blankets (5 or so) from many people, but mostly from Aunt Audra. He has always loved them, particularly those with holes he can stick his fingers in. Over time, he has developed a favorite (see picture - this was September he as grown so much!). This one is actually made by Uncle Zach's mom (Hi Amy!). He primarily uses it for naps and snuggling time. However, of late, it also goes to day care with him. He had one in day care before for naps so we sent one this time too. I'm a little afraid that he has it with him all day as it is always with him when I pick him up. We mostly sent it for nap time and comfort, but think it is becoming he security blanket. Aunt Audra calls him "Linus" (after the Peanuts character). While, I don't want this to get out of control it is also a little endearing and cute. (Am trying not to worry about it as day care is temporary, but we shall see and I've digressed from the point of this posting entirely).

Anyway, he and I both love blankets generally. He will snuggle with my blankets and sometimes take the one I'm using for himself. I always have a blanket when I'm working at home on my laptop, studying, watching TV, etc. I'm not always cold (although I keep the house colder when I'm here alone), but just love the coziness of it. My favorite right now is one my mom gave me when I graduate OU. The top is made of flannel squares that came from my dad's, mom's, and brother's old shirts, nightgowns, etc. It is warm, snuggly and personal. Also, it is nice and big so Brent and I can share when watching movies together. B and I's second favorite is a smaller throw from Aunt Jamie made out of teddy bear type material. It is very soft and we're learning to share.

So today's random love is the snuggly wonderfulness of blankets and thanks to those that made/gave them. Snuggle up and have a wonderful day!