Oh the Things They Can Do!

Lucy is really getting maternal with Tommy and likes to report his latest to me at all times. Lots of hilarious phrases like,
"Whatcha sayin' bubbee?"
"Bubbee's talkin'!"
"Brother Tom spit up! I get wipey..."
"Uh oh..Brother Tom tooted! Can I see it Mom?" (Then, every one of her babies has to come see Brother's dirty diaper and yell, "Big onnneee!!!"
"Mom? Can I hold him today?"
We have also noticed in the jogging stroller, she likes to put her hand on his leg closest to her. She doesn't do anything, just rests it there like she is protecting him. Yesterday I caught her singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider to him, as well as "This little piggee" and would say "Wee wee wee!" while flailing up and down his body. He loves to stare at her. It is very surreal watching my two kids stare at each other. These two humans we created checking each other out as brother and sister. The whole thing still blows my mind.
This morning, Tommy decided to suprise us all by rolling from back to belly before all of our eyes! He has also likened to blowing raspberries 24/7. It's his new favorite thing! He is getting sick of lounging in his bouncy seat, except when he is tired. Otherwise, he wants to be upright and checking stuff out! Perhaps he will sit up early? Last night he slept 9:30 - 5 a.m. and then right back down until 7:30 a.m. Nice work Tom! Now if he could start doing that regularly, I would begin proceedings for nominating him to Sainthood. :)

Friday's Math...

Time I jogged this morning: 6:30 a.m. - felt like 85 and 100% humidity
Number of pounds lost in July: One lousy pound...for all that pain and sweat, that is complete crap.
Number of babies in my house during play group: 2 four-month olds, 2 6-month olds and a 6 week old. Wowza.
Number of toddlers in my house during playgroup: 8 (maybe more, hard to count)- with no less than two of them crying at one time. Wowza. Who knew little boys would fight over a stroller.

Quite a day over here at casa del me. We have no hot weekend plans and I like it that way. Just a lot of air conditioning and water fun! Yipee!

2006 vs. 1996

Over the past couple of days, I have connected with a few high school, college and old work friends for some laughs over the phone and to see how their summers are going. I pride myself in the fact that I have maintained these friendships and that, despite moving to different states, different life stages, etc., I have managed to keep these important friendships in my life. I get sad when I see others let their lives get "so busy" that they let friendships run their course and sputter out after time, due to lack of maintenance. I see it happen all the time and I think to myself, "no matter how busy my life gets, I will always have time to call a friend." These calls spurred a discussion with Matt about "simpler times." Times like high school and college, where everyone was in the same life stage, doing the same thing at the same time with the same weekend plans, etc. It's so much harder now with families, schedules, work, kids, etc. Then I started thinking about one of the best years of my life - 1996. Why was it so swell, you ask? Well, it was my senior year of college and most of my tougher classes were completed my Junior year. Senior year was really comprised of sorority activities, living with 12 of my great friends, and "going out" 5 times a week. Of course, I was 65 pounds MORE than I am today. ha! AND, I was in a relationship that SHOULD have only been a friendship but out of sheer laziness on my part, I let it last waaay too long. BUT, other than those two slight details, (and no, I do not have photos) it was a great time in my life. Fast forward 10 years and here we sit. I like to call this...a daily schedule:

1996 Schedule of Events:
10 a.m. Wake up and watch Jenny Jones.
12 p.m. Meet friends at the University Center for a grilled cheese and talk about nothing.
1-3 p.m. Go to a class or something.
4 p.m. Watch Oprah at the sorority house.
6 p.m. Eat dinner with "boyfriend" that should have been "only friend."
9 p.m. Go to bar for $1 pitchers of sweet Bush Light.
2 a.m. Bedtime.

2006 Schedule of Events:
6:30 a.m. Wake up with baby, breastfeed, change diaper, eat oatmeal to stay regular (thanks a lot).
7:30 a.m. Give toddler milk, change diaper, read book, set up breakfast.
8 a.m. Clean, run up and down stairs doing things while toddler is strapped down in chair and baby is taking nap.
9:30 a.m. Run both children in jogging stroller 2.5 miles, if it isn't 90 degrees out.
10:30 a.m. Entertain children doing some fun activity.
12:30 p.m. Breastfeed, breastfeed, lunch, lunch....
1 p.m. Toddler to bed, flail with baby to complete "to do" list. Eat lunch. Shower. Call people.
4 p.m. Milk, dinner, playing, etc.
8 p.m. Put toddler to bed. Play with baby. Breastfeed..breastfeed.
9:30 p.m. Put baby to bed and crawl into bed as body shuts down. Pray to the sweet lord he sleeps for a loooonnnggg time.

I would seriously choose 2006's schedule. It keeps you on your toes. And I mean, WHO DRINKS BUSH LIGHT?! Creepy... :)

Play That Funky Music White Girl...

Lucy is a great napper. Usually, she goes down for about two and a half to three hours for me every afternoon. But every once in a great while, especially after a big morning of fun - she makes another choice. Today, it has become "concert afternoon" at our house. We are talking belting out EVERY song she knows, or even partially knows, into the monitor to me downstairs. "Twinkle Twinkle", "ABC's," "Oh Mr. Moon," "Where is Thumpkin?"...over and over and over again...with clapping. And lots of "whooo hooooing" finales (which I DID teach her..ha ha). So here I sit, listening to "The Hits" by my two-year old as we near hour 2 of "naptime." Oh well..sometimes you want to sleep and sometimes you just gotta sing, damnit!

Sometimes it all goes right!

If you would have asked me Friday, I would have told you that today I would have a post detailing all the drama and ridiculousness of our first attempt pop-up camping with the kiddos. Turns out, it went great! Better than I could have ever imagined. Lucy slept great at her end of the camper...so much so that she was kicking me out for bed! She loved playing with our friend's older kids (2, 5, 7 and 8 years old) and is already using new language today like, "Mom? I have a question." Tommy slept like a champ. The parents were actually able to relax a bit, Lake Michigan was beautiful and we enjoyed a super fun beach day. All in all - complete success! Now we are trying to schedule another trip for Labor Day if we can find any availability at a state park. I am excited that this is working and opens up a whole new world for us in summertime fun. I also like to imagine just a few more years from now when the kids can ride bikes and explore and we can check out really neat locations. Yeah for a fun, successful trip!!

I have sooo got a shot with him...

It seems like the older I get, the more really strange celebrity crushes I develop. Matt is fully aware of these and finds them amusing. It all starts back to old Justin Guarini (second place against Kelly Clarkston on the first American Idol). I am sure...what was that about? Then it was Bob the Bachelor (so ridic). My friend STILL won't stop making fun of me for that one. So you might ask yourself - perhaps it's an afro hair thing? I thought so too but THEN I had a Tom Cruise faze (now he creeps me out). Then I was ALL ABOUT Justin Timberlake for quite a while. There has also been Matthew McConaughy, until I saw him interviewed on Oprah and got turned off by his oddness. So I guess I shouldn't be surprised at my latest love: Denis Leary. You know, the guy who stars in the ONLY show worth watching this summer since all summer t.v. SUCKS. The show is Rescue Me and he plays a fire fighter. The thing is, he is not cute. But my sistert n law and I agree there is just something about him. At least until another celebrity guy catches my attention and I oogle him in US Weekly like a total dork.

Random Tidbits of The Day

1. Envision Superman ice cream. Now envision it all put smashed together into one greenish brightish blue color. Now imagine that in a diaper. That was this morning's fun.
2. Lucy was GREAT this morning when the sitter left...cried at first but got over it quickly and kissed and blew kisses goodbye to me! Yipee!!!
3. Preparing for our first camping trip in our new pop-up camper this weekend. And only 45 minutes to get to our location (thank the sweet lord). Purchased lots of naughty food this morning. I have decided the calories you eat when camping don't count because you are in the woods.
4. Bought a pair of capris this morning in a size I haven't worn in 2 years. A milestone was met. I also plotted my 2.5 mile route I will try and tackle tomorrow (up from 2 miles).
5. Tommy acted like a newborn last night and we were up multiple times with him. Then Lucy woke us up yelling for us at 6:40 a.m. Super dupe...
And on that note...I am off to the couch to sleep until Tommy beckons for the boob.

Shake Rattle and...

Tommy is ROLLING! It is so cute..he started rolling belly to back on Sunday night and now it's all he wants to practice doing. Very fun and Very cute! Next up, college graduation...

Is That a Gun Pointed at Your Head or Are you Just Happy To See Me?

Do I look older? More run down or haggered? Perhaps a bit disheveled? In the past two weeks, we have clocked in no less than 13.5 hours in the car together as a family of four. I don't know why I didn't think about it sooner. Perhaps some wishful thinking on my part? Maybe hoping for a miracle? Or pretending it's 1999 again = and nothing has changed? Maybe trying to say to the Summer - "Hey Summer! We are going to have fun, damnit! We shall drive and drive to do fun things with a 3.5 month old and a 2 year old and they will love it! We shall sleep many hours and sing songs and watch Elmo and eat snacks and all will be well for 13.5 hours!"
P.S. IT IS COMPLETELY UNRESONABLE TO ASK A TODDLER TO HANDLE THIS! A 2 year old will not sit, strapped into a car seat for more than 30 minutes at a time and stay calm. Especially my fiesty, active, verbal, excitable toddler. Needless to say, we are all set on long trips for a while. I am taking action for our own sanity. To the point where I am swallowing my pride and calling a few friends and family we have plans with the rest of the summer. We are asking them to compromise on trips and perhaps chose meeting locations less than 1.5 hours away. I must do it...for this families sanity...and to prevent entering myself in a looney bin. Oh - and to prevent me from puking in the car from the 150th turnaround I have to make from the front seat. I have to say this isn't the popular choice and some people may be disappointed - but I am getting over that. Matt and I have decided we have to stand up for our family and make a choice that summer weekends do not equal miserable parents. I am all for good times, but not at the parent's expense. I have had a few compliments doled out my way over the past few days relating to my "calm demeanor" and "amazing patience" with the kiddos. I do pride myself in that - I RARELY, if ever, lose it with them. I save all that for my husband (ha ha..he is so smiling and nodding). However, all bets were off by the end of Saturday's trip. As Lucy woke Tommy up for the 3rd time by yelling that she wanted to hold my purse for the 40th time and needed my help using both hands because it's "KINDA HARD MOM!" I could slowly feel my brain melting. :) So there you have it..good times on the road. Sometimes I have to tell myself that it is O.K. to not try and be "super parent" and do EVERYTHING all the time. I think I put a lot of unnecessary pressure on myself. Sometimes, on a 95 degree day, you CAN watch 4 episodes of Elmo and hang out in air conditioning and play hide and seek and NOT get in a car. That way, no one's brain will melt.

Vacation

As simple and as perfect as it gets...

Tommy Rules the School!

My little Tommy is ridiculously cute. I must create a post gushing about him because he deserves it. He is starting to come into his own lately and it is so fun to see. He loves to hold rattles and linkadoo chains now. He puts everything to his mouth. He can hold his head up really high and strong on his belly and look around, resting on his arms. He LOVES his little burp clothes I use to wipe his face. I mean, if he is sleepy and can't fall asleep, I will just hand it to him and he acts all relieved and snuggles it close to his face and falls asleep. Every night, Matt puts Lucy to bed and I stay downstairs with Tommy and have my special time with him. We chill out together, and laugh and I hold him and he, as usual, just chills on his mommy's tummy. Well last night he decides it would be fun to reach out and touch my face. We made this game where he would reach out and touch my face and then I would yell, "Oh my gosh! Who is touching their mom's face?" and he would laugh his guts out. Then he would put his arm down and do it again! He did this like 5 times and laughed. By now, Matt had come downstairs and he was so shocked to see Tommy interacting with me like this. It was so cute and funny. Best of all, it was like he "got the joke." He got that he was being goofy and kept doing it to me. I mean, that is pretty cool at almost 4 months old. I pride myself in the fact that my children appreciate a sense of humor. You can tell Lucy has learned that being funny is appreciated in this house. The girl was yelling "I funny!" at 18 months old. I really think it is the best thing you can teach your children because humor can get you through everything. Not everyone is born with has a natural sense of humor and if I can instill that in my kids, I will feel like I have set them up to be fun and successful adults! Oh - and Tommy rules the school.

It Wasn't Our Time...

Before we left for vacation last week, we were driving to my parent's place on a busy Friday evening - dealing with the post-work crowd right before the big holiday weekend. Well, we ended up taking a "back way" there, to avoid more traffic. Turns out, it was not our best choice. In short, we were almost hit head on in the left turn lane by a car full of 16 year old morons not paying attention. In Matt's efforts to avoid this, he swerved to the right ever so slightly, only to be missed by a car to the right side of us. That car missed hitting us by about 3 inches. That car was going about 45 miles per hour. I saw it in the side mirror as it all occured and I sat in terror with my hands partway over my eyes. Once we were finally off the main drag and in a safe spot, I found myself overwrought over what had just occured. I realized that if Matt had swerved only a few more inches, we would have been hit where Tommy was sitting. My precious baby boy in his little infant seat. I mean we would have been hit HARD and who knows what would have happened. I started crying because I let myself think about how close we were to having something horrible happen to our family. I cried because I was so happy we were all o.k. In that instant, I realized how precious life is and how much I love this family. Those 16 year old idots had no idea what was in front of them. When I turned around to look at our two little kids, I just saw innocence and trust and it made me cry harder. My whole LIFE was in our car. It was just the worst feeling on earth. Lucy said to me, "That's o.k. Mom..Mommy's sad." I told her mom was scared by what happened with the cars. At that moment it all came to me - I told Matt we had to all say a prayer together right that minute because the only explanation was that it wasn't our turn. God has other plans for us and that wasn't the end. I don't mean to sound overdramatic, although I am sure to some it sounds that way. It was just a terrible feeling I never want to have again. In retrospect, I try and look at the moment as a gift that helped me remember how precious every minute is and we should never take anything for granted. On those days I feel overstressed or overworked, I need to take a deep breath and remember how much all of this means to me. Oh, and I will not be allowing Lucy or Tommy to drive a car until they turn 35. :)

Back to reality...

Yesterday we got back from a 7 day luxurious vacation on the east coast of Michigan. It was totally relaxing, as usual - and a great break from the day to day life I lead. I realized on Wednesday of last week (about halfway through the trip) just how tense I must be on most days. I suddenly felt like a ton of bricks had landed on my body as the full relaxation set in. It kind of made me depressed to realize that I am sooo tense in my day to day life. I guess I didn't realize how "on" I am every second with the two kiddos. I just tried to soak in every second up there that I could. So now I sit back in reality. Although sitting is hardly what I've done! I am so glad I chose to clean the house right before I left - for some reason coming home to a clean house makes me feel so much better! This is an exciting week - my good friend is having her baby tomorrow! I am excited for them and their new addition, not to mention having someone else to lament about sleepless nights to. :) Speaking of, Tommy is about to hit 4 months old and his sleeping pattern hasn't really changed since he was 8 weeks old. Going to chat with the pediatrician about that this Friday at our appointment. He still gets up once a night. Sometimes he teases us with two nights in a row of going 10 p.m.-5 a.m., but then he'll throw in a 2:15 or 3:30 a.m. just to knock me back down. :) Perhaps the rice cereal coming his way next week will help. We shall see....ahhh back to reality...