Caving in...

I gave up refined and artificial sugars for Lent.  This weekend, I caved and had one of these...

You know what?  It wasn't as good as I remembered.

'Ello, Bubba!

Apparently, his name is no longer Baby or G____.  It's Bubba.

There Were 5 in the Bed

This big guy has been doing a lot of singing lately - Old McDonald, Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, and this...

G is 7 months!

Little guy isn't so little anymore!  He didn't have a well child this visit, but I'm assuming he's close to 19-20 pounds. He'll be outgrowing his car seat soon.

He's had a pretty good month:  

- He's sitting up more unassisted, but still topples over when he tries to reach for something.

- He doesn't like when something is out of his reach or we don't allow him to have a particular item.  Screaming is his usual response.

- Still sleeps well at night, from about 7pm-6am.  He used to sleep in till after 7, but I think our schedules wake him earlier (getting up for work, his brother shouting in the morning).

- Naps take place usually three times a day.  They range from 15 min to 2 hours. Each day it varies a little, he hasn't quite figured that out yet.

- He can lift his chest off of the floor when he's laying on his stomach.  That usually leads to lifting one arm and rotating sideways.

- G is quite the rolling machine.  He can even turn in a circle on his stomach.  No crawling yet.  I'm ok with that!

- Has 4 top teeth coming in all at the same time.  You wouldn't know it based on how happy he is all the time.  Well, except for when he tries to bite you.

- Enjoys being with his brother.  E makes G laugh all the time.  E will come up and tickle him, which makes G bust into hysterics. They also enjoy wagon rides together.

- Loves his toes.  And the t.v. remote.

- Really loves food: apples, bananas, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, and (not so much) zucchini. He does not love when you try to take away his food.  Just today my mom said that G had gotten a hold of E's left over banana and when she tried to take it from him he had a screaming fit. Tears and all.

 See those two bottom teeth?

Happy 7 months, Bubba!

Spring Break '12

I've thoroughly enjoyed my spring break with the kids.  For the most part.

G sitting up and sporting a rash.

E watering the plants.  Er...the dirt.

The week didn't start off too well. I had my yearly exam with the ob/gyn on Monday, followed by a visit to the periodontist for a frenectomy on Tuesday.  Luckily, my folks were very kind and helpful with the kids so that I could attend my appointments.  I wasn't feeling so hot after the periodontist visit and it was great having my parents there to keep E entertained. It's still quite sensitive to touch, but one of my stitches has already fallen out.


I've been working on a new job that my friend, Andrea, set me up with.  I'm aligning interactive whiteboard lessons to the common core standards for the company where she works.  It's a bit time intensive, but we could use the money!

E, G, and I met up at the park to meet some of my friends since high school and their kids.  E had a blast and asked the following day if we could meet up with his friends.

Our weekends are busy, as Paul always has something for us to do. I can't remember what we did last weekend, but this weekend Paul painted our wall in the backyard and we went to the Irish Festival.

Tomorrow we have some cleaning to do, he has to go in to work, grocery shopping, and a visit with his grandmother.  I still have to work and clean up because I'm trying to start a toy rotation.

The Irish Festival was fun.  The weather was really cool and breezy.  E also rode his first pony, although Paul and I were sad to admit that we most likely contributed to some time of animal cruelty.  Those poor little ponies.  The one E rode was named Pepper, and he held the photo of himself, Paul, and Pepper the entire ride home.

I made a slideshow with some of the photos I took this week.  There are too many to post!

Judgments and Apologies

When I used to hear people talk about terrible twos, I would get nervous for what was to come.  But when E turned 2, he was still relatively good.  Having a baby brother threw him for a loop, but nothing too bad.

So when I heard people say that the age of three was worse than two, I thought, "Well, E seems to be doing fine, it probably won't happen to him."

I was wrong.

We are now 3 months away from his third birthday and just this week, I have seem him hit the floor in a fit at least 10 times.

Whoops. Guess I was wrong about that.

Mindful of differences

When I became pregnant with G, I had to keep telling myself that when he was not his brother. I wanted to make sure that I never compared the two of them in a way that would make one feel less important than the other. I wanted to remember all of their unique qualities that make them who they are and to bring out those qualities. I'm amazed in how just a few months, it's clear to see how different they are! When E was an infant, he wanted nothing to do with a pacifier or lovey. He wasn't much of a cuddlier until he got a but older. He would moan loudly when we would try to get him to sleep. G, on the other hand, will fall asleep nursing, while drinking a bottle, with a pacifier, or put on his side in bed while having his bottom patted. E could do without many types of food. It takes him a while to get used to textures and flavors. He will often turn food down or be skeptical while trying it. He has his favorites and stick to them: bread, tortillas, fruit, cereal, waffles, pancakes, yogurt, milk, nuts. G (although he's only had apples, bananas, carrots, and peas) can't seem to get enough. He will try stealing any food he sees you eating or holding. He will sit at the table and start salivating. I have a feeling he's going to run us out of food each week. Another thing I've noticed, both of my kids have the same laugh. They get giggly when they're beyond tired, just like me.

Spring Training

Yet another baseball season has begun!  Luckily for us, the Cleveland Indians are here for spring training.  We decided to take E to a game and leave G with my sister.  It was rather nice for Paul and I to have some alone time together with E.

He did really well too, considering that the weather was a bit warm. E had fun getting peanuts out of their shells and eating them (the peanuts, not the shells). He devoured some lemonade and even played catch with a 15 month old.  I had to keep praising E for how good he was being at sharing the ball because I could tell he wasn't to keen on it.  A man also gave E a ball as we were coming back from the bathroom. Paul was going to get him ice cream, but the line was too long.  So when we left we made sure to stop and get some.

 While we were at the game, my sister watch G for us and took some great pictures!

What a day!

After our scrumptious breakfast yesterday morning, we spend the rest of the afternoon and early evening with my husband's family and extended family for a reunion.  The kids were tired and wired from playing and not napping.

Today, I made banana waffles for breakfast and then we headed to the Chili Cook-off happening near our home.  We tasted some delicious chili of all sorts and were able to vote for our favorites.  My husband loves chili and was partially in heaven.  I think the whining of our son for a carousel ride kept him from fully enjoying his chili.  


Once we arrived back home, I tried to get the little guy down for a nap without success.  The big guy fell asleep and my husband was off to a Spring Training game with a friend.  I was finally able to get the little one down for a bit.  It was at this point that I decided to make myself chocolate cake in a mug! It came out quite dry and I think it's due to the fact it cooked too long. Once they both awoke, they were in terrible moods.  The eldest whined about everything and the youngest cried about everything.  At this point, I also noticed that the little one had a rash on his forehead, temples, brown, and nose. After an hour or so, I needed to get out of the house before I started whining and crying.

We initially set out to find horses (which there really are none near our home) but changed plans to go get ice cream instead.  There is a great place a few miles from our home, Yollipop, that sells self-serve frozen yogurt - but everything there is either lactose/dairy/sugar/gluten/fat free.  The sugar free flavor today was blueberry and the best part is that it is sweetened with Stevia.

We headed back home to meet up with Daddy and the whining/crying began again and continued until bedtime.


Where's my beer?  I need it.

It's Potty Time!

After months of slowly letting E sit on the potty during/after his bath, E finally went pee in the potty! (And I even took a picture).

Bucket list

I've never really considered making a bucket list, but there are some things that I'd like to experience/accomplish/dream about before I die. Here goes... 1. Visit Greece 2. Visit New York City 3. Visit Boston 4. Have a completely natural childbirth 5. Have a wildly popular/famous blog 6. Be a stay at home mom 7. Work at a school 10 minutes (or less) from home 8. Be a master/mentor teacher *9. Have a student teacher 10. Have my own invitation company 11. Be a doula 12. Be a childbirth educator 13. Become a lactation consultant 14. Have a flat stomach 15. Take professional quality photos 16. Marry my husband all over again 17. Watch my kids get married and have children 18. Stomp grapes 19. See the aurora borealis 20. See my husband be happy with and enjoy his career (possibly for a MLB team?) Guess what's good for now.