Pants on the Ground

Having children is a funny business.  They're like open books and constantly chattering and moving streams of consciousness.  In some ways, I wish I could be more like a child - you know, to have the ability to say exactly what I'm thinking and do what I feel like doing whenever I want, but I'd probably lose a lot of friends and rack up a couple of felonies if I didn't follow a social code.  I will say that I am happy that God blessed me with a certain level of tolerance and an ability to find humor in the business of child rearing, however.

So anyways, we had an incredibly busy - and fun - weekend.  Nana and Boppa are in town for a bit before leaving for Florida tomorrow and so they came up on Friday with pizza.  My sister and her boys joined us as well and Wim stayed the night for a sleepover.  Jeff was out of town for a plaintiff's conference and so it was me and the three kids flying solo.  It actually was a lot of fun, although by Saturday night, I could barely keep my eyes open.  

My parents and sister helped me get the kids in their pajamas and then we all climbed in to our bed and watched Despicable Me.  I put Wim down in Jack's bed and I had a tough time falling asleep myself because I was concerned that he'd get scared in the middle of the night or wake up and wonder where he was.  But the night was blessedly incident-free and Wim slept pretty late the next morning.  So, we all woke up and got dressed and the boys played for a while in the basement while I picked up the house, wrote out a grocery list and did a few loads of laundry.  And then all THREE of us went to Target.  Again, this was pretty easy.  I told them we'd go to the park after the store and I held that over their heads like a carrot.  You know, if they didn't behave themselves then we'd just go straight home and skip the park.  It worked well.  

In any case, I took them to Adventure Peak after the grocery store - and it was totally insane there.  But it stands to reason - Minnesota is freezing right now and everyone is looking for an indoor play area to get the wiggles out.  So, I let the boys go crazy and Nora even played a little bit.  There's a toddler area at the playground and it's filled with mirrors, so she had a good time laughing at her reflection.  

So we had some lunch and then I took Wim back to my sister's and the kids and I headed home for naps.  Unfortunately, Jack fell asleep in the car on the way home and he pretty much bucked the whole idea of taking another nap when we got in the house.  I made him stay in bed though so I could catch a break and finish cleaning up the house - and my car.  I had/have salt stains all over the back seat because of little feet.  On Saturday night, we went over to a friend's house for dinner - Jeff's new law partner.  Jack was a little excitable because he didn't take a nap, so we made a quick exit after dessert.  Plus, I had a drink and I could barely keep my eyes open.  Nora was a delight, of course, and the girls had so much fun playing with her and she entertained everyone - smiling and cooing and showing off her cooking skills in the kitchen:

 
I am so happy for Jeff and, as a consequence, myself as well.  This new law practice is going to be wonderful - he's getting cases in the door and he genuinely likes his law partners and their families.  I do too.  It's so much fun that we can all get together because we enjoy each other's company and not because we're obligated to do so.  It feels very familial and the change in Jeff is wonderful.  He's excited to go to work every day, he's hustling, and he comes home from work a happy guy too.  It's such a change and I'm hoping that things will only continue progressing.

Also, have I mentioned how happy that little girl is?  I call her my little Gal Smiley because she is always smiling.  I ended up in Jack's bed last night with her and she was up at the crack of dawn laughing and chattering away, trying to grab my lips and my nose and she perfectly content to just hang out in bed while her mom kept dozing.  And sure enough, her big brother heard all the fun we were having and he came padding down and climbed into bed with us for a little morning snuggle - and there's really no better way to start your day.  One baby in each arm, loving up on Mom, and playing with each other.

As of late, when I get home from work in the evening, I'll get everything unpacked and the kids settled - Jack likes to do his "puppy puzzle" and watch a show and Nora will hang out in her Johnny Jumper and squawk and squeal while I get dinner ready.  When she gets bored, she likes to sit on the floor with her brother and play with her toys.  Jack loves to make her laugh.  And this is easy to do - she's a happy baby, completely enamored with her brother, and he's a funny kid.  Anything he does elicits a belly laugh from her.  I took this the other night, hiding in the doorway, when they weren't looking:

Anyways, yesterday when I woke up, I cleaned out the kids' closets to make room for the new clothes that Nana and Boppa had gotten for them.  This always makes me sad and I think I cried the entire time I was working in Nora's room.  And, since we're going to Florida in a few weeks, I wanted to get an idea as to whether they needed any summer clothes.  Fortunately, Jack is pretty squared away, however since Nora wasn't even born until the end of last summer, she needed quite a few things.  So, the kids and I went to Target to do some clothes shopping.  And again, I told Jack that if he was a good boy at the store, I'd take him to McDonald's for some chicken nuggets and playtime.

When we woke up yesterday morning, Jack announced that he wanted to wear his underwear.  So, we got dressed and had a long talk about how we don't pee or poop on Thomas (that's the kind of undies he was wearing) and that, if he needed to go potty, he should tell me.  So we left Target yesterday and headed over to McDonald's.  As we were driving there, Jack announced that he needed to go potty.  I asked him if he could hold it and told him that when we got to the restaurant, we'd go potty.  He accepted the challenge and agreed to my stipulation.  In any case, we again talked about how we don't pee on Thomas and how proud I was of him that he told me he needed to go potty.  So, we get to McDonald's and I walked in, with Jack trailing behind me.  I was looking up at the menu when I noticed the people behind the counter and others standing in line kind of snickering and pointing to something behind me.  I turned around and Jack was standing in the middle of McDonald's with his pants around his ankles, waving his "parts" all around and asking me where he should go potty.

Note to self:  Toddlers are very literal creatures.  And he was completely following directions - I did tell him that we'd go potty when we got to McDonald's.  Of course, I was completely mortified and I ran over to him and started to pull his pants up.  This upset Jack because, as he announced several times and quite loudly, he was a big boy and could pull his pants down all by himself.  So, we had to talk about how we don't pull our pants down in public and that we needed to wait to do that until we were next to the toilet.  I kind of get it though - when we got to daycare today, there were a few kids with their pants around their ankles trailing in and out of the bathroom or waiting to get their diapers changed.  Jack probably thought nothing of it because it's what he does at school and, frankly, what he does at home too.  

So, we took care of business, got our food and Jack went off to play.  He also started telling anyone who would listen that his name was "John Storms, but people just call me Jack."  Which again, is completely true although I have no clue how he figured that out.  The only time he's ever called "John" is when we're at the doctor's office and they've stopped calling him that a long time ago.  We're frequent fliers there.

After the McDonald's incident, we went home for naps.  I got things ready for the week and Jeff cleaned out the basement to make room for a home office.  I baked some scones and just puttered around, playing with the kids.  Sunday afternoons are my favorite - there's nothing to be done, no running around, chores or errands to be completed and it's so nice to have some quiet time with everyone.  We also talked with Grandma Jersey and Gammy and Gampy Arizona before turning in for the night.  

This morning, Jack told me that he wanted to come to the office with me - this breaks my heart.  He has so much fun at school, but it makes me sad that he doesn't always remember that.  I also wonder if he misses his sister when he's at school because he tells me that he wants to go and be with his sister just about every morning when I drop him off.  He was a bit emotional this morning too.  He was easily upset and kept crying over every little thing and I just wanted to tell him that I got it - Mondays are tough for everyone.  

And so we start another week.  It's supposed to be cold for the foreseeable future, so I'm starting my countdown until Florida and dreaming of the time when I can be digging my toes in the sand and feeling the sunshine on my face.  

Suspended for The Foreseeable Future

There's a whole area of the Internet devoted to parental musings on sentences you'd never think you'd have to say until you have children.  Mostly, these websites are a collection of ideas and concepts - words strung together that you cannot believe you're saying to your child as they come out of your mouth.  This happens to me all the time.  In fact, if I actually put my mind to it, I could probably corner this market.  Many times, the things that I say are relatively benign - for example, yesterday I had to tell Jack that his sister was not a drum even though her stomach sounded like one when he banged it.  However, many of the directives that come out of my mouth are, unfortunately, related to anatomy and what he cannot do with said appendage.  

This morning, I had to tell Jack that he could not use his "willie" to push his sister across the bathroom floor.  Then, I had to tell him to stop using it to play the drums.  I also had to tell him that it was not broken and that I could not fill his butt up with poopies.  Last week, I had to tell him to stop hanging his sister's pacifiers on it.  I could go on, but I think you get the idea.

I'm not the only one who has strange things coming out of her mouth either - Jack has some pretty weird ideas too.  And again, many times related to anatomy and bodily functions.  You really have to wonder what's going on in that kid's head with the things that he says.  He is literally a constant, talking stream of consciousness.  Everything that pops into his head comes out of his mouth.  He narrates everything.  I'm not joking.  Everything.   Last night, I resorted to trying the "Quiet Game" and no sooner had I said, "Go!" then he was off and running, talking about something related to a minion.  Sometimes he's sweet - like the other morning, he woke me up by hugging my head and telling me that he just wanted to love me - but most of the time, he's just plain goofy.  He's also started talking back to me, telling me that I "just need to stop talking to him" but that's mostly when he's in trouble and I'm lecturing.  

So, in any case, Jeff and Jack went back to Lifetime Fitness on Saturday and Jack got suspended right out of the gate.  Apparently, he pushed a friend or something.  I could write a whole book about what I think about this - on the one hand, he's three years old - but on the other, he really shouldn't be pushing friends and doling out his own brand of justice.  We had a long talk about things when the boys came home and he told me that this particular "friend" pushed him first, took a toy and made him cry, so Jack pushed and scratched him back.  I can't figure out how to get his head around the concept that he can't live life in the "eye for an eye" fashion.

This is actually kind of becoming a serious area of concern for Jeff and me.  I think there are a lot of different things that play into the behavior, but I have to wonder how much of it is just genetics.  Jeff always comments that Grandma Jersey stayed at home with him for the first few years of his life, but he still went to daycare because he was just a lot to handle.  I'm sure Grandma Jersey will read my comments about Jack's constant chatter and remark, "like father, like son" as well.  Jeff says that it's just history repeating itself - he was a maniac as a child and his DNA is creating one giant headache for us now.  And, I don't really know where Jack is learning this sort of behavior either.  I would think that some of it may come from daycare - too many kids and not enough one-on-one time to correct wrong behavior.  When he's home and acts out though, it's dealt with swiftly and followed up by a talk about right and wrong - unfortunately, that usually prompts the comment from Jack that I "just need to stop talking to him."

With that said - I deserve a baby like Nora.  I could go on and on about how sweet, calm and good-natured she is.  Both of my children are loving - even if one of them is a "problem" child.  Nora is getting so big.  Right now, I'm actually enjoying a moment of respite - we are watching Jake & The Neverland Pirates on television.  Jack is doing a puzzle (this is his most FAVORITE thing ever at the moment - as a side note, there is nothing on the face of this earth that can hold his attention longer than a good puzzle.  He loves them.  Just loves them.  And I keep buying bigger and more complicated puzzles and he gets better and better at them) and Nora is sitting at our feet, playing with toys.  She's getting really mobile.  This morning, I got her dressed and set her down in the guest room with Jeff while he was ironing his clothes and went into our bedroom.  All of a sudden I hear, "I can't find the baby!  Where'd she go?" and I ran into the room to find that she'd rolled underneath the bed and it took both of us to get her extracted.  She loves to sit up and play with her toys.  Nora loves mirrors too - quickest way to get her to stop fussing (which she does NEVER) is to hold her up in front of the bathroom mirror.  She starts cooing and laughing at her reflection.  I still wish she'd sleep through the night though.  She was a party animal last night.  I settled down with her after she woke up around 4:00 this morning, thinking I'd be able to get her back to sleep and a few more hours of rest myself when - whap! - I felt her tiny hand swing up and grab my face.  My girlfriends all talk about sleep training and I'm probably going to have to start doing that soon.  I'm just afraid she's going to wake her brother up and getting him back to sleep is the bigger headache.  She seems to have no problem falling asleep at school though:
 

So anyways, on Saturday, Nora and I ran our errands while Jeff and Jack were getting kicked out of Lifetime Fitness.  We've actually decided to suspend our membership for me and the kids right now given the fact that the only reason we signed the kids up was so that I could get a bit of a respite on the weekends.  And that plan's kind of out the window now.  It was also Valentine's Day, so we exchanged our little gifts and I made a nice meal for the family.  I think it's a sign of my age that, the older I get, the more I want to be with those that I love.  There's something peaceful about being at home with the kids and my husband - everyone safe and happy under one roof.  We also got to talk with Uncle Chris, Auntie Kate, and Cousin Maddie to with her a happy Valentine's Day and belated happy birthday and closed out the night with Grammy Arizona.

When we got up on Sunday, Jeff had to get some work done and so I took the kids to McDonald's - I think we were there for roughly 2.5 hours.  Jack made a little friend and they were playing so well together that I let him go nuts for a really long time.  His friend was there with his grandpa, and by mutual agreement, we figured that we'd let them play together until they got tired of each other.  They didn't - and so we pried the two of them away because nap time was calling.  Nora was, of course, perfectly content to sit with me and watch the action or sleep in her car seat.  Now here's the thing I don't understand about Jack - given the fact that he'd just gotten kicked out of Lifetime Fitness the day before, I watched him like a hawk on Sunday while he played with his friend.  He was so sweet - he shared, took turns, apologized when he inadvertently hit him while climbing, and asked him if he was having fun.  He was a fantastic little playmate and I saw nothing of the tiny psychopath that has reportedly been terrorizing other innocent children at the gym.  So, colored me confused - but I have no clue HOW to fix this behavior when it doesn't happen in front of me.  Even when the play area was busy, Jack didn't bother himself with the other kids and was perfectly happy to play by himself or with his little buddy.

 
So in any case, after McDonald's, we went to the store and headed home for naps.  After Jack woke up, we made some banana scones for my office and spent the rest of the night doing puzzles.

You know, everyone with parenting experience tells me that the "terrible twos" is a misnomer because the age of three is WAY worse and maybe that's what we're going through.  I don't know.  And maybe it's just Jack's way of expressing his independence since his behavior really only asserts itself in a minimally supervised environment.  I guess the only thing we can do is practice consistent parenting and talk about situations as they arise.  But I don't know what to do about the "anatomy" issues.  I'm not mentally equipped to have those conversations.  Still, he's my sweet - if demanding - little boy.  He just asked me to stop typing and do his puzzle with him - and there's no way a mom can say no to that.  Nora is looking at me and cooing, "Mama, mama" and it looks like she could use a cuddle.  So in any case, happy Monday and say a few prayers this week for sanity all around.        

Six Months

Hey there... Remember me?

I've been neglecting the blog for several reasons - but if I could sum up the past two or three weeks in one or two words?  Sick and busy.  Or busy and sick.  It doesn't seem to really make a difference.  Two weeks ago, we were all sick.  Every last one of us.  Jeff and I tested positive for influenza B, Nora had the stomach flu and Jack got pneumonia.  That weekend - awful.  It was like we were living in Dante's forgotten circle of hell.  Jeff and I laid prostrate on different couches and bargained with each other whose turn it was to change diapers or the channel on the television.  We spent lots of time in bed, bargaining with God over the finer points of death.  I may be a bit dramatic, but it was horrible.  It's tough enough taking care of a sick child - but when EVERYONE in your house is sick, that's a whole different ball game.  

We spent a lot of time that weekend, huddled in our pajamas and under blankets.  I had to take the kids to urgent care, unfortunately and I got checked out too and when we went, I forgot to put "real" shoes on Jack and so he was walking around the clinic in his Mickey Mouse slippers.  Bad mom.  But no one remembers that except for me.  

These are just a few out of the outtakes from the illness that would never end.  And now we're all better, for the most part, except for me, of course.  But I don't want to go to the doctor again.  We're officially frequent fliers.  

So anyways, in the midst of all that illness, Nora turned six months old. 

She is developing all sorts of new skills - she can crawl backwards, hold her own bottle (most of the time) and she babbles a lot.  She can sit up on her own now and play with toys all around her.  She loves her dolly from Nana and Boppa - that's her favorite toy.  It makes lots of crinkle sounds and the dolly feet fit perfectly in her mouth.  She's getting better at taking down solids too.  I'm also pretty sure she said "Mama" last night:

  

Honestly, she is the happiest little girl in the world.   She makes me want to have a dozen more just like her.  She is just amazing - we went to the pediatrician for her six month check up last week as well.  Officially, she's in the 80th percentile for height and the 70th for weight.  She got her shots and only fussed for about a second before she was over it.  My Nora is a snuggle bug and loves to sit in my lap and play or reach for my nose.  She also thinks that her brother is amazing and I know she's frustrated that she can't run after him just yet.  

   

Honestly, she is probably the smiliest baby in the world.  Everything is sunshine and roses for her.  I mean seriously, look at that smile - in every picture.  Happiest little baby in the world.  

The school had a professional photographer come in and take pictures of the kids for Valentine's Day.  I figured I'd save on the sitting fee and the timing was perfect, given the fact that Nora just turned six months old and so I had a few of the kids taken.  I think they turned out pretty well and no one can say that my kids don't know how to mug for the camera.  

Anyways, we went out to the Mall of America last weekend to go on some rides.  Jeff started with Jack on a few and then I took over.  I am getting old - I was terrified to be on the log chute.  Back in the day, it wouldn't have phased me.  Last weekend, I clung to Jack like he was going to save me.  Pathetic.  

I can't really remember what we did on Sunday - but Jack and I did go to the store to buy Valentine's for his class party.  That was yesterday.  And, per usual, I made all the mistakes I typically make.  For starters, I let him out of the cart at Target to "pick" out which Valentines he wanted to get.  He wanted to get them all.  Also, he wanted all the chocolate.  So finally, I look at what he's picked out and figure I can come up with a fun little crafty thing for us to do together.  But then, Jack asked if we could go pick out a new puzzle and so I wandered over to the toy aisle and we found a new "puppy puzzle" for him to do.  So, we got home from Target and I tried to get him to help me with his Valentines.  But, of course, the puppy puzzle was much more interesting so I ended up putting together my fun little crafty Valentines, which were WAY more work than I anticipated, while Jack ran around the house, jumped off of stuff, and yelled at me to help him put together his puzzle.  Still, I think he had a good time at his Valentine's Day party and his teachers all told me how CUTE his Valentine's were, which makes me puff out my chest at the fact that there are some people in the world who would consider me "crafty."  

Jack also went to the dentist this week - which was a total disaster.  He sits still for about thirty seconds before he decides he's scared and can't take it.  The good news is that his teeth are still fine and there's no need to worry about whether he's brushing appropriately because, well, he is - or rather I am.  

Finally, in order to alleviate some of the mind-numbing boredom that comes along with Jack's favorite television shows (i.e. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Jake & The Neverland Pirates, Henry Hugglemonster, and Doc McStuffins) we've been giving him a few Disney movies here and there - his current favorite is The Lion King.  I think this movie is kind of scary, honestly.  Watching Disney movies is a whole new kettle of fish when you're a parent.  Fortunately, Jack doesn't seem to notice that Scar is a homicidal lion but enjoys the silliness of Timon and Pumbaa, and particularly the "Hakuna Matata" song:

We sing this song All. The.  Time.  To school.  From school.  While I'm making dinner.  While I'm in the shower.  In the store.  Everywhere and anywhere, we sing Hakuna Matata.  Also, Jack is also really in to spelling things and asking me what it says - for example, we drive past HOM furniture every day on our way home from school.  As we pull out of the parking lot, Jack will ask, every day without fail, "H-O-M.  What's that spell, Mommy?" and then I'll tell him that it's not ACTUALLY how you spell home but the name of a furniture store, and of course, he completely lost interest in my answer immediately after he asked the question because this happens every single day.  We also have to spell the kind of car that I drive every day, along with every sign we see in the car.  

Finally, and perhaps the biggest news, Jeff has left his job and opened up his own legal practice.  I don't think I've slept in a week, but this is a great move for him.  He'll be practicing personal injury, civil rights litigation, and a bit of commercial work, I think.  His partner practices criminal defense so, in theory, it will be a pretty nice set up for the both of them.  The best part is that Jeff's new office is in my office building and I can walk over to see him whenever I want.  Ha!  

Anyways, I don't know what we're going to do this weekend.  Lenny the Vigilante has served his two week suspension at Lifetime Fitness, so maybe we'll try to take him back this weekend although it almost seems pointless.  But regardless, it's Valentine's Day and so we'll spend it together.  

And finally, happy first birthday to my sweet niece, Maddie Burke!  What a year it's been and what fun the next one will be!