For days and days I've been wanting to write a blog post about the home-makeover extravaganza that I am currently in the middle of.
It is one of those things where part of me wants to COMPLAIN about how hard it has been to have my life turned upside-down and not be able to be in my own house for two weeks now and how STRESSFUL it is to make these decisions about what colors everything should be when there are truly a billion CHOICES with every single item and how everything COSTS more than you thought it would and takes LONGER than you thought it would and how when you do one project in invariably leads to having to do another project and then there are ever more decisions, more choices, more money...wait a minute, I think I'm complaining.
Anyways the truth is that I am deeply grateful that I even have the luxury of making these decisions. I am deeply grateful that we currently have the resources to make these little dreams a reality. So it seems pretty stupid to complain too much. Yes, very stupid.
So we're in the middle of getting a few things spruced up around here. When we bought this townhome 2 1/2 years ago we knew we'd eventually need to repaint and re-do the floor. The previous owner had a love of white spaces and while that worked really well for her as a single woman, it works terribly for me as a mother of three. The white carpet in my living room is just plain ol' ugly at this point and the walls have various stains, hand prints, and a bit of toddler graffiti on them since it seems that the kids need to give wall art a try at least once. But I have no way of cleaning the flat finish walls and despite regular carpet cleanings the floor looks hopeless. So Jason and I agreed that paint and a downstairs floor was necessary.
But you know, if you are going to hire someone to paint the downstairs and ginormous livingroom wall, you might as well just have them do the upstairs bedrooms too because realistically, when are you ever going to get around to it? And if you are getting a new floor downstairs it sure would be nice to have a new baseboard since they'll just have to do this base-shoe thing around the existing baseboard anyways and it doesn't cost much more and the installation is included. And since we're doing the living room floor in laminate, it's just going to be another series of decisions to do the kitchen and bathroom someday and then we'll have all these different floor seams in the house so you might as well just have them do the laminate in the kitchen and downstairs bathroom too. Now, if you have a new floor downstairs and nice new paint with a new baseboard it is going to look pretty stupid to have those cruddy stained "once-white" stairs that greet you right at the livingroom entrance. You should probably just re-carpet the stairs, that way the entire downstairs will look nice. Did you know that carpets come in different die-lots? I didn't. So just because you pick one color/type of carpet today for the stairs doesn't mean that two years from now you can buy the exact same carpet for your hallway and bedrooms, not to mention that you'll have brown stairs and a white hallway for two years. And it will be another process of the house being upside-down while furniture gets moved and people get hired and contracts written. Sigh.
If you give a mouse a cookie. Right?
So we're kind of doing it all. All the paint, the whole downstairs floor, and all the carpet. I suppose it's just basic stuff but it feels like a lot.
I have a few pictures of the scaffolding that was in my living room. But it's on my camera. And as much as I'd love to have a picture of it right here, I just don't feel like getting it off my camera and downloading it and then uploading it to the blog. That right there is the biggest reason of why I sometimes take forever to post something new.
So I don't have pictures, but it's an update nonetheless. (I just love now "none the less" evolved into being just one word. That's so cool!)
When it is all done I'll try to put up a few pics.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Friday, July 2, 2010
The family gets baptized
At St. Luke Lutheran Church in Claremont on June 13th. (Jason and I were baptized on May 31st.)
.jpg)
It was a very nice ceremony and I'm so glad that we finally found a church that we are comfortable in and are learning in. After the children were baptized something felt complete to me, like a thin circle was drawn around us all.
.jpg)
It was a very nice ceremony and I'm so glad that we finally found a church that we are comfortable in and are learning in. After the children were baptized something felt complete to me, like a thin circle was drawn around us all.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Peas in a Pod
Our neighbors just left for Egypt for the summer. WAH! I'll miss them. Frannie and Omar play just about every single day and they never get sick of each other. I have to tell him to go home all of the time, and then 15 minutes later he'll be back in the garage. Omar is a good kid, but boy does he have a knack for breaking things. He reminds me of one of those puppies that chews on your favorite shoe. When you find the shoe with tooth marks and slobber all over and scold the dog, he just looks at you with this face like "Huh? Me? What did I do?" He's broken flower pots, my mini blinds, he made the roof of the playhouse collapse, he cracked the plastic pool, he's made Adam trip by chasing him with a hula hoop and then hooking him by the ankles. He runs too fast, jumps from high places, and in general doesn't think much about the cause/effect of what he's doing. He's six.
But he and Frannie and Adam play well together and rarely fight.
On one day Frannie took a bunch of pictures. These made me smile.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Keeping House
I really love learning about the art of keeping a home. I feel that for many women my age, homekeeping was pushed so far down on the list of worthwhile priorities to be taught either at home or school while growing up, that we are trying to figure it all out at a time when it should be second-nature. There were no Home Ec. classes in my jr. high or high school and for all of the math, science, literature, and history I was taught, the only lessons I learned about home and family in school were in reference to a sort of female enslavement. I sometimes wonder, did my great-grandfather really not appreciate the efforts of my great-grandmother? Was she really seen as second class to him as the textbooks would make it seem? Or did they just have a respected division of labor? There's a lot to be done to make a household work, and for some reason the actual work-load of the home side of things has been minimized to the point that I guess people think homes can clean themselves, meals can cook themselves and children can raise themselves.
Before being in this role, I never appreciated the work involved. Perhaps I saw it as part-time work, something that could all be accomplished with just a little effort on the side. But this business of nurturing people and the home they dwell in is a whole thing.
Fortunately, I came into wifehood and motherhood with a knowledge of how to cook, and a knack for lovin' up babies. Those things have never been hard for me. It's this keeping the home in order part that has been a struggle. It's like...work. There's a lot of cleaning. And things keep getting dirty. And there's always stuff coming into the house to sort through and stuff that needs to be pulled out. And them kids I live with keep making huge messes and interrupting me every five seconds. Hmmm...funny how that happens.
But I finally feel like I'm really breaking free! (From the house-trap mindset that is, not the kids!)
I have been getting better over the years bit by bit as I read books and blogs and apply what I've learned. However, for a long time I have been stuck at the place of doing an ok job of keeping things in order but it has always felt like a huge effort. Just thinking about the dishes that have to be done, or the kitchen that has to be wiped down was a major mental drain. I would always wonder "Why does it always feel so hard?" I know that it isn't actually difficult to wash dishes or do laundry or pick up toys. In fact when you are in the middle of it, often the mind can take a little vacation and it isn't so bad. Somehow the mental activity of just getting there took about 75% of my energy. I wanted to be one of those people that just gets it done and doesn't anguish over it. Jason's that way.
So in my quest for knowledge I ordered another home organization book from the library, Sandra Felton's Organizing for Life. Her book isn't about how to clean, it's about the mental side of things. Organizing for Life explores the cognitive patterns (and sometimes physiological issues too) that contribute to someone being a "Messy" vs. a "Cleanie". For me, the most helpful chapter was chapter 16 where she talks about the way the average successful homekeeper relates to her home. She says the number one difference between those who keep their homes clean regularly with little problem versus those who are always struggling with the house is that average successful homekeepers just want their home to look nice.
What? That's it!?
She says the average "Messie" focuses on wanting the house to "work better" and be more organized so that life will be more efficient. For example, kids will be hustled off to school with less effort, items will be found more easily, documents will be stored more appropriately. She says that the human desire for beauty is much greater than the desire for efficiency. Also, the person who wants a nice home will subsequently have a home that works better and is more efficient.
This may sound stupid, but this information hit me over the head.
I read that chapter about four times.
Want a nice home...they want the house to look nice...they want it to be pretty...welcoming...for themselves.
They just want a nice house.
I ...want a nice house.
I have never admitted that to myself or even really considered it. In fact I have always viewed myself in opposition to those who want their homes to look nice. Isn't it a vain character quality to want something for beauty's sake? Isn't it much more noble to desire efficiency? And yet, it isn't enough. A vision of efficiency has never been enough to make me want to wash any dish. I'll do it out of duty's sake because I love my husband and I love my kids and I know it is important to them (especially to him) to have a home that they can enjoy. For years, that has been the motivation I've been operating under. But desiring efficiency and desiring to please family members isn't enough to shake the emotional response that everything is such a c.h.o.r.e.
I deserve a nice home. A nice home isn't just for other people, it's for me. I deserve a nice home to live in. I feel like I need to keep repeating it over and over and let it sink in. When I keep that vision in my mind, it does make a difference. It changes the energy with which I approach the house. Rather than being a trap, it's like the mess is in-between me and MY nice house! I want my nice house back! So the mess must go! It also means letting go of my little self-identity as a "Messie". I can feel sometimes when that old mind-set is operating and when I have to switch to the new one and get my vision back.
So if you come to my home, don't get all Inspector-Gadget on me and whip out your magnifying glass to check my skillz; There will probably still be some toys on the floor and dishes in the sink and blah blah blah. However, when the time comes to stick my hands in some soapy water or put Thomas and his Friends away for the day I think my inner-world won't be moaning and groaning through the whole thing.
I'll be creating my nice house.
Before being in this role, I never appreciated the work involved. Perhaps I saw it as part-time work, something that could all be accomplished with just a little effort on the side. But this business of nurturing people and the home they dwell in is a whole thing.
Fortunately, I came into wifehood and motherhood with a knowledge of how to cook, and a knack for lovin' up babies. Those things have never been hard for me. It's this keeping the home in order part that has been a struggle. It's like...work. There's a lot of cleaning. And things keep getting dirty. And there's always stuff coming into the house to sort through and stuff that needs to be pulled out. And them kids I live with keep making huge messes and interrupting me every five seconds. Hmmm...funny how that happens.
But I finally feel like I'm really breaking free! (From the house-trap mindset that is, not the kids!)
I have been getting better over the years bit by bit as I read books and blogs and apply what I've learned. However, for a long time I have been stuck at the place of doing an ok job of keeping things in order but it has always felt like a huge effort. Just thinking about the dishes that have to be done, or the kitchen that has to be wiped down was a major mental drain. I would always wonder "Why does it always feel so hard?" I know that it isn't actually difficult to wash dishes or do laundry or pick up toys. In fact when you are in the middle of it, often the mind can take a little vacation and it isn't so bad. Somehow the mental activity of just getting there took about 75% of my energy. I wanted to be one of those people that just gets it done and doesn't anguish over it. Jason's that way.
So in my quest for knowledge I ordered another home organization book from the library, Sandra Felton's Organizing for Life. Her book isn't about how to clean, it's about the mental side of things. Organizing for Life explores the cognitive patterns (and sometimes physiological issues too) that contribute to someone being a "Messy" vs. a "Cleanie". For me, the most helpful chapter was chapter 16 where she talks about the way the average successful homekeeper relates to her home. She says the number one difference between those who keep their homes clean regularly with little problem versus those who are always struggling with the house is that average successful homekeepers just want their home to look nice.
What? That's it!?
She says the average "Messie" focuses on wanting the house to "work better" and be more organized so that life will be more efficient. For example, kids will be hustled off to school with less effort, items will be found more easily, documents will be stored more appropriately. She says that the human desire for beauty is much greater than the desire for efficiency. Also, the person who wants a nice home will subsequently have a home that works better and is more efficient.
This may sound stupid, but this information hit me over the head.
I read that chapter about four times.
Want a nice home...they want the house to look nice...they want it to be pretty...welcoming...for themselves.
They just want a nice house.
I ...want a nice house.
I have never admitted that to myself or even really considered it. In fact I have always viewed myself in opposition to those who want their homes to look nice. Isn't it a vain character quality to want something for beauty's sake? Isn't it much more noble to desire efficiency? And yet, it isn't enough. A vision of efficiency has never been enough to make me want to wash any dish. I'll do it out of duty's sake because I love my husband and I love my kids and I know it is important to them (especially to him) to have a home that they can enjoy. For years, that has been the motivation I've been operating under. But desiring efficiency and desiring to please family members isn't enough to shake the emotional response that everything is such a c.h.o.r.e.
I deserve a nice home. A nice home isn't just for other people, it's for me. I deserve a nice home to live in. I feel like I need to keep repeating it over and over and let it sink in. When I keep that vision in my mind, it does make a difference. It changes the energy with which I approach the house. Rather than being a trap, it's like the mess is in-between me and MY nice house! I want my nice house back! So the mess must go! It also means letting go of my little self-identity as a "Messie". I can feel sometimes when that old mind-set is operating and when I have to switch to the new one and get my vision back.
So if you come to my home, don't get all Inspector-Gadget on me and whip out your magnifying glass to check my skillz; There will probably still be some toys on the floor and dishes in the sink and blah blah blah. However, when the time comes to stick my hands in some soapy water or put Thomas and his Friends away for the day I think my inner-world won't be moaning and groaning through the whole thing.
I'll be creating my nice house.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Adam Jason turns THREE!
[Note: I started putting this blog together on June 6th!]
"Is it my bootday?"
"Not yet Adam. Next week. And you are going to have a special Tommy party!" (Tommy = Thomas the Tank Engine)
Adam is very cute when he gets excited. He kind of pulls his neck in, folds his hands together in his lap and smiles big with bright eyes. It's adorable to me! He's a fairly reserved little boy so he doesn't often react with a huge WHOOP! He does this more measured reaction but I know it means he's VERY excited. And it makes the times that he does do a big WHOOP even more entertaining.
Here's Jason's take on the early morning hours of Adam's birthday.
The day started out early. Francesca was up by 5:30 am, "Daddy its late, we need to go to Grandpa's house to make Adam's cake." Bobbie has a special talent for making awesome cakes and at Adam's request a Thomas the Train cake was on order for the day. With Francesca as co-baker, the plan was to make the cake at Grandpa's house.
Thirty minutes later, I was out of bed and both Adam and Franny met me down stairs. I fed them, dressed Franny and off to Grandpa's house we went. Adam at the last minute decided he wanted to go for the ride, so in his pajamas, I loaded him into the van.
We got to Grandpa's early and well before Grandma Bobbie. Hmmmm, she said beween 7 and 8, its 7:15 am. "Ding Dong," went the door bell, once then twice. Does Grandpa know we're coming? A few minutes later, we heard feet shuffle and Archie barking behind the closed door. Grandpa's head poked out of the door and I now now, he WASN'T expecting us.
We stayed awhile, talked as Archie raced around the living room, full of excited energy running to and from Francesca and Adam. Bobbie never showed while I was there and after two phone calls from Jamie I had a growing "To Do List".
A quick trip to Stator Bros and back home, time to start party planning! Jumper was delivered on time, bbq out, charcol, cooler filled with ice and drinks, back yard swept, the day was setting up on time. Stress level, close to zero.
Okay Jamie you can finish!
He Did he just say stress level close to zero? I'm pretty sure he just said that. Anyways, my pre-party stress is never a zero but I will say that with now having a little bit of party experience, I am no longer in all out anxiety mode like I used to be.
Anyways, back to Adam.
It made me very happy to put together this particular party for him. Adam has his ups and downs. He's a wonderfully cuddly little boy who says "Please" and "Thank You" and a friendly "Hi!!" to strangers. He gets so excited about trains and begs to watch his train movies every day. Watching him watch a train youtube is hilarious for me as he always "chuffs" with the train and points at the screen and gives big laughs and sound effects as the train goes down the track. While we enjoy so many sweet moments together, he is two (now three) afterall and the phrase "terrible twos" really means something to me. Some days are haaaaaard. In fact most everyday is a mixture of absolutely aggravating patience-testing behaviors and cuddly sweetness and silliness. It's weird how it all can change hour by hour.
The party was a chance to celebrate all the super parts of my little guy. And I'm so glad we did!
We decided to invite family and a few friends to the house for a BBQ. We also got a jumper because of all the kids on the street who we knew would come over. It was a beautiful day. There were a million kids around as expected and Adam got a lot of nice train gifts! He really enjoys opening presents.
These are just some things I'd like to remember about him as a three year old:
The way he loves to cuddle. When I carry or sit with him, he lays his head on my shoulder, tucks his arms in and wiggles his booty to get comfortable.
He asks for candy constantly. When I say "no candy" he promptly says "Can I have gwum?" Half the time I let him have gum just so he'll stop asking.
Juice. The boy loves juice.
"Work that body" running and dancing.
Lately his little sense of humor includes pretending to pee on everything.
"I yuv you" (Mom, Gwama, Auntie, Gwampa, Fwannie, Natowie, Omaw, Weem) He will often tell those he loves that he loves them!
The train sound effects.
His low laugh.
The way he shouts "Gotta go pee pee!" "Gotta go POO POO!" and then "I'M DOOOONE!" in a screetching howl.
"Give me my pie-see!" (give me my privacy)
"Can I have a pop-ped-o?" (marshmallow)
"My. name's. Anum!"
"You bootiful, Mommy"
Obviously I really want to remember his way of speaking! It's really cute and I know he won't do this too much longer. The L's are pronounced like Y's. The R's are just lost in the word. Everyone finds it quite funny the way he pronounces the name of a certain favorite green train whose name rhymes with Mercy.
I always want to remember the way he and Frannie play and laugh their heads off together. Or as Frannie would say "crack your head off".
Slowly Natalie is becoming more of a playmate too, but she is mostly still a nuisance to him. I suspect this will change more once Frannie starts school.
Finally this year he is riding a tricycle. He would never even sit on one before. And now he rides all around everyday. I know Jason is really glad about that!
Adam can load up a DVD or VHS tape all by himself.
Last year he was very clingy and he's grown out of that now. He actually has several little friends. His besties are James, Naomi, and Omar.
He's a cautious kid. He never goes down the slide at a park. He only likes to swing on the swing a little bit and that is just a recent development. He just recently did the tricycle thing. He won't go in the swimming pool without me in there holding him. Otherwise he just sits with his feet resting on the first step. He still loves to run and kick a ball though! I guess he's a feet on the ground kind of kid.
I love my special 3 year old "Big Boy!" who is full of love and stubbornness and is powered by juice and a passion for trains.
Well my little guy turned three years old yesterday. This is a big birthday for him because it is the first time he was FULLY AWARE of the event. Everyone did an excellent job of getting him pumped up about it. Seeing other kids blow out birthday candles a few weeks prior also did the trick.
"Is it my bootday?"
"Not yet Adam. Next week. And you are going to have a special Tommy party!" (Tommy = Thomas the Tank Engine)
Adam is very cute when he gets excited. He kind of pulls his neck in, folds his hands together in his lap and smiles big with bright eyes. It's adorable to me! He's a fairly reserved little boy so he doesn't often react with a huge WHOOP! He does this more measured reaction but I know it means he's VERY excited. And it makes the times that he does do a big WHOOP even more entertaining.
Here's Jason's take on the early morning hours of Adam's birthday.
The day started out early. Francesca was up by 5:30 am, "Daddy its late, we need to go to Grandpa's house to make Adam's cake." Bobbie has a special talent for making awesome cakes and at Adam's request a Thomas the Train cake was on order for the day. With Francesca as co-baker, the plan was to make the cake at Grandpa's house.
Thirty minutes later, I was out of bed and both Adam and Franny met me down stairs. I fed them, dressed Franny and off to Grandpa's house we went. Adam at the last minute decided he wanted to go for the ride, so in his pajamas, I loaded him into the van.
We got to Grandpa's early and well before Grandma Bobbie. Hmmmm, she said beween 7 and 8, its 7:15 am. "Ding Dong," went the door bell, once then twice. Does Grandpa know we're coming? A few minutes later, we heard feet shuffle and Archie barking behind the closed door. Grandpa's head poked out of the door and I now now, he WASN'T expecting us.
We stayed awhile, talked as Archie raced around the living room, full of excited energy running to and from Francesca and Adam. Bobbie never showed while I was there and after two phone calls from Jamie I had a growing "To Do List".
A quick trip to Stator Bros and back home, time to start party planning! Jumper was delivered on time, bbq out, charcol, cooler filled with ice and drinks, back yard swept, the day was setting up on time. Stress level, close to zero.
Okay Jamie you can finish!
Here is the cake Frannie helped my mom make. Complete with track and toy train!
He Did he just say stress level close to zero? I'm pretty sure he just said that. Anyways, my pre-party stress is never a zero but I will say that with now having a little bit of party experience, I am no longer in all out anxiety mode like I used to be.
Anyways, back to Adam.
It made me very happy to put together this particular party for him. Adam has his ups and downs. He's a wonderfully cuddly little boy who says "Please" and "Thank You" and a friendly "Hi!!" to strangers. He gets so excited about trains and begs to watch his train movies every day. Watching him watch a train youtube is hilarious for me as he always "chuffs" with the train and points at the screen and gives big laughs and sound effects as the train goes down the track. While we enjoy so many sweet moments together, he is two (now three) afterall and the phrase "terrible twos" really means something to me. Some days are haaaaaard. In fact most everyday is a mixture of absolutely aggravating patience-testing behaviors and cuddly sweetness and silliness. It's weird how it all can change hour by hour.
The party was a chance to celebrate all the super parts of my little guy. And I'm so glad we did!
We decided to invite family and a few friends to the house for a BBQ. We also got a jumper because of all the kids on the street who we knew would come over. It was a beautiful day. There were a million kids around as expected and Adam got a lot of nice train gifts! He really enjoys opening presents.
These are just some things I'd like to remember about him as a three year old:
The way he loves to cuddle. When I carry or sit with him, he lays his head on my shoulder, tucks his arms in and wiggles his booty to get comfortable.
He asks for candy constantly. When I say "no candy" he promptly says "Can I have gwum?" Half the time I let him have gum just so he'll stop asking.
Juice. The boy loves juice.
"Work that body" running and dancing.
Lately his little sense of humor includes pretending to pee on everything.
"I yuv you" (Mom, Gwama, Auntie, Gwampa, Fwannie, Natowie, Omaw, Weem) He will often tell those he loves that he loves them!
The train sound effects.
His low laugh.
The way he shouts "Gotta go pee pee!" "Gotta go POO POO!" and then "I'M DOOOONE!" in a screetching howl.
"Give me my pie-see!" (give me my privacy)
"Can I have a pop-ped-o?" (marshmallow)
"My. name's. Anum!"
"You bootiful, Mommy"
Obviously I really want to remember his way of speaking! It's really cute and I know he won't do this too much longer. The L's are pronounced like Y's. The R's are just lost in the word. Everyone finds it quite funny the way he pronounces the name of a certain favorite green train whose name rhymes with Mercy.
I always want to remember the way he and Frannie play and laugh their heads off together. Or as Frannie would say "crack your head off".
Slowly Natalie is becoming more of a playmate too, but she is mostly still a nuisance to him. I suspect this will change more once Frannie starts school.
Finally this year he is riding a tricycle. He would never even sit on one before. And now he rides all around everyday. I know Jason is really glad about that!
Someday he'll graduate to papa's bikes.
Last year he was very clingy and he's grown out of that now. He actually has several little friends. His besties are James, Naomi, and Omar.
He's a cautious kid. He never goes down the slide at a park. He only likes to swing on the swing a little bit and that is just a recent development. He just recently did the tricycle thing. He won't go in the swimming pool without me in there holding him. Otherwise he just sits with his feet resting on the first step. He still loves to run and kick a ball though! I guess he's a feet on the ground kind of kid.
I love my special 3 year old "Big Boy!" who is full of love and stubbornness and is powered by juice and a passion for trains.
WE LOVE YOU ADAM!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Natalie Meadow turns ONE!!
My sweet baby girl was born one year ago today! Right up there in my bedroom. It's so cool to think about that day.
For her birthday today we had a little neighborhood party. There are 18 kids on my cul-de-sac, mostly boys, but they're a lot of fun and it keeps this street full of life and busyness. I told Jason last week that we're never moving because you can't buy great kids to play with your kids. Anyways, Reem is my little helper and she made some invitations and came over today to make/decorate cupcakes. We put an invitation on everyone's porch that said to come outside at 6:30pm and we'll sing to Natalie and serve the cupcakes.
It was a good way to celebrate!
My little Natalie is still a sweetie, but her stinkery side is developing nicely as well. She's been taking daily lessons from Adam. :P So in addition to her smiles and laughter, there are now demands and tantrums and arching. All part of growing up! Lately her biggest lesson is learning that she's not allowed to go into the street. So she gets a lot of "No, no" from me and Frannie and "No street" and putting her back on the grass and this just really ticks her off. Boy this baby can really cuss me out sometimes when she's tellin' me what's on her mind and how dare I not let her on the street? And take the cell phone away? And take that penny out of her mouth? Are you KIDDING? Yep. She's got a lot of words for her mama. A lot of words.
I dressed Natalie in the same dress I put Frannie in when she turned one :)
One thing I love about her right now is the cool 70's baby hairstyle she's got going on. Soft and shaggy over the ears. A very common style for 12 year old boys. And 1 year old girls!
She has a few words in her vocabulary:
Ma ma
Na na (banana)
Did did (daddy)
No no!
And she's an excellent pointer. She understands a TON. For example, I say "Seepy seep!" and she starts laughing. She knows it is nap time. Jason asks her to dance and she'll shake a little booty. She'll give a kiss and hand me something when I say "Can I have it?" She's understanding the whole no street thing too.
One thing she does that the other two never did, is she has a favorite blanket. It is a pink fuzzy blanket that I keep in her bed. One day when I was changing her sheet, I had all the blankets in a pile in the hallway for washing. She came waddling down the hall, saw her blanket and dragged it all the way back to her bed and got on her tippy tippy toes trying to put it back inside. Every night she buries her face into that thing when going to sleep.
She nurses, but she eats a lot of solid food as well. She still only has two teeth on the bottom. She will jokingly nip while nursing and I say "Ouch!" and she'll start laughing. Then she'll do it a few more times. She's not hurting me or anything, but she knows that the potential is there. It's like her little joke on mom. :)
She loves to be outside and play in the dirt and sand and play in her little front yard house. There are so many kids around here that she is a pretty easy going baby. Just yesterday I peeked in the front yard and there were five boys, Ali, Omar, Nicholas, Christian, and Aman all sitting in a circle with Frannie, and they were doing goo goo ga ga with Natalie. Anyone who says kids, even boy kids, don't love babies is crazy. The age range is about 6-12. These kids love to take her for rides in the push car or wagon and they do a good job of making sure she never goes on the street.
Sweet Natalie I love you so so much. You are a wonderful delight to me. I love to nuzzle you up under your neck and nip your ears and give you delicious squeezes every day. My heart sings with joy at your baby ways and in watching you grow. Happy Birthday!
And just for fun, I want to throw in a few Natalie/Frannie comparison shots at one year of age.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
My Mother's Day Off (on Saturday)
For Mother's Day I asked for a day off. I really had no desire to be taken out for a meal or even be given a certain gift. All I wanted was a day to myself. No butts to wipe, clothes to wrestle on, fights to quell, messes to clean, meals to make, juice to pour, activities to provide, or even conversation to be had. Does that sound mean?
My only participation in the family was to nurse and say "Go ask Daddy."
On Saturday Jason left with the kids at 10am and thus began my day. It was quite glorious. I started by wasting lots of time. I almost started to feel guilty for this lack of productivity, but then I thought, "I can spend this day any way I want to, even in a thoroughly non-achieving way. I don't have to answer to anyone for my time or how it is spent." Wow. What a strange thought. What a strange feeling to give myself permission for pure nothingness. It was such a weight lifted off! After I wasted time, I took a shower.
Then Jason got back home. That's right. In the span of like three hours, that is all that I did. (Well a big part of the "nothingness" was updating the camping blog and that took forever.)
Once he was here I nursed the baby and set out to run an errand or two. I had shoes to return. Since I was returning shoes it only made sense to look for more shoes. And maybe try on a shirt or two too. On the way I got myself some ice cream. I wasted more time at that drug store just going up and down the aisles eating my ice cream and looking at pretty much everything in the store. Just because.
Once I got back home I went upstairs and crawled into bed with my book Confessions of a Slacker Wife. It is SUPER funny! I highly recommend for anyone who wants a light read and wants to have a laugh. The kids came into the room a few times and tried to get into bed and such, but I shooed them away with my "Go see Daddy! It's my day off!" Anyways, I finished my book. What to do after that? Well, take a nap of course.
It really wasn't a great nap because the kids were being kind of loud in the house, but it was ok. Once again, I started to feel guilty for napping and for my lack of involvement with the children, but I shoved it away. There is really NO reason to feel guilty when I do almost everything for my kids all the time every single day 363. (I guess I should subtract out Mother's Day and perhaps some other random day I haven't accounted for.)
Once I got up, I was feeling pretty good, so I decided to go outside for a walk. I walked about two miles. At home Jason said he wanted to go to the bike shop. I said, "Ok, but you have to take the kids with you!" he he he. I really like this day off thing. I need more days like it.
Pretty soon the kids were in bed. Before coming home from my errands earlier I stopped at Albertson's because they have a Red Box movie machine. I rented Julie and Julia for the evening. After a few matches of online Scrabble I settled into our big red chair with some decaf coffee and watched a very cute movie. (Learned a lot more about Julia Child than I ever would have I think.) Jason enjoyed the movie too.
So that was my day off!! Woo hoo!
My only participation in the family was to nurse and say "Go ask Daddy."
On Saturday Jason left with the kids at 10am and thus began my day. It was quite glorious. I started by wasting lots of time. I almost started to feel guilty for this lack of productivity, but then I thought, "I can spend this day any way I want to, even in a thoroughly non-achieving way. I don't have to answer to anyone for my time or how it is spent." Wow. What a strange thought. What a strange feeling to give myself permission for pure nothingness. It was such a weight lifted off! After I wasted time, I took a shower.
Then Jason got back home. That's right. In the span of like three hours, that is all that I did. (Well a big part of the "nothingness" was updating the camping blog and that took forever.)
Once he was here I nursed the baby and set out to run an errand or two. I had shoes to return. Since I was returning shoes it only made sense to look for more shoes. And maybe try on a shirt or two too. On the way I got myself some ice cream. I wasted more time at that drug store just going up and down the aisles eating my ice cream and looking at pretty much everything in the store. Just because.
Once I got back home I went upstairs and crawled into bed with my book Confessions of a Slacker Wife. It is SUPER funny! I highly recommend for anyone who wants a light read and wants to have a laugh. The kids came into the room a few times and tried to get into bed and such, but I shooed them away with my "Go see Daddy! It's my day off!" Anyways, I finished my book. What to do after that? Well, take a nap of course.
It really wasn't a great nap because the kids were being kind of loud in the house, but it was ok. Once again, I started to feel guilty for napping and for my lack of involvement with the children, but I shoved it away. There is really NO reason to feel guilty when I do almost everything for my kids all the time every single day 363. (I guess I should subtract out Mother's Day and perhaps some other random day I haven't accounted for.)
Once I got up, I was feeling pretty good, so I decided to go outside for a walk. I walked about two miles. At home Jason said he wanted to go to the bike shop. I said, "Ok, but you have to take the kids with you!" he he he. I really like this day off thing. I need more days like it.
Pretty soon the kids were in bed. Before coming home from my errands earlier I stopped at Albertson's because they have a Red Box movie machine. I rented Julie and Julia for the evening. After a few matches of online Scrabble I settled into our big red chair with some decaf coffee and watched a very cute movie. (Learned a lot more about Julia Child than I ever would have I think.) Jason enjoyed the movie too.
So that was my day off!! Woo hoo!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)