Ringing in the New Year.

New Year's Eve 2010

Most of my New Year's Eves (I'd say about 80% of them) have ended in tears. Therefore, every December 31 that does not involve crying is a win. There's less than an hour to go before 2010 is over, and so far so good.


Tonight we went to Aladdin's at Crocker Park with everyone for their New Year's Eve special, with plans to watch the family ball drop and the fireworks at 7 pm. We left the restaurant just as the loud speaker from the event (at the complete opposite end of the square) announced "36 seconds to go!" So we immediately start running for it, me in the lead leaving Allie, James and Tim trying to keep up with three small children, two strollers and bags of leftovers in tow. We reach the stage just as it gets down to "Three, two one!" but our view of the ball is blocked by a building so we all missed seeing it actually drop. That's when the fireworks start (woo! at least we didn't miss those, right?) At first, Jack couldn't decide how he felt about them. He resolved that "Yes, yes this is something that makes me cry." So did the two little girls. So we left. And that was the end of that.


We are now sitting in the family room - two of us asleep on the couch, the other two on laptops. Tim and I remembered that we had a bottle of sparkling cider in the fridge from our honeymoon which expired in 2009, but we're willing to take our chances in the absence of champagne. There was even talk of celebrating at 11 pm but we decided to stick it out. We.are.out.of.control.


This is life with kids, folks. It's not for the faint of heart.

Visitors.

Eden, Jack and Lydia

My cousin and her husband and two little girls are down this week for a long overdue visit. Allie and James are one of the most fun couples I know and its always such a blessing when we get to spend time together. A lot of our time is usually spent buying and eating junk food - no joke. James and Tim have a special bond over their love of processed food. I think we've gone through about 4 bags of chips in three days. Gross. But delicious (?) My stomach is begging for mercy and fruit.

On the down side, none of us have gotten much sleep due to children waking up at night and crying including one very small, very tenacious, very ornery blond haired, and blue eyed baby who decided it was best to scream his little head off at 1 in the morning for an hour and a half the first night.

So post-Facebook (starting tomorrow!), I'll not only be learning to knit but also to finally, finally play the guitar. Tim's selling his latest bass guitar for something less expensive so he can also get me my own acoustic. I'm very much one of those people who likes to be great at something right away - which is why I've never stuck with learning an instrument in the past. It's also why I think it's funny that I'm taking on two new skills at once. But hey, I'm going for it. I'm sure before long Tim and Jack will have a collection of ratty looking scarves and lopsided hats. Afterall, every wannabe hipster needs to learn how to knit and play guitar before they've truly arrived. Not that I think I'll ever be that cool. I don't have the hair. Or the wardrobe.

I do however, possess a MacBook.

6 months.

Dear Jack,

We're almost at the end of month six. People ask me all the time if you're crawling yet. I always have to say no. What's up with that? Just kidding. We love you.

Not a whole lot of obvious changes have happened this month, at least not that I can tell. Except maybe that you got a nice tuft of fluffy hair on your head. And ok... you can use your hands a lot more. And maybe you did get a lot better at figuring out how to do things for yourself. Oh yeah, and with our help you can totally sip water from a big person cup. So ok, you deserve more credit than I'm giving you.

To be honest, I'm kind of thankful you aren't crawling yet because it means I can leave all those cords and wires exposed. And the little decorative acorns in the fireplace don't have to be put away. And its not a big deal if there are dustballs all over the floor because you aren't able to get to them and put them in your mouth like every other inanimate object you get your sticky little hands on. However, we did realize that perhaps you'll be a more contented little guy once you're not immobile. That's why we asked for a walker for you for Christmas (while turning a blind eye to those pesky precautionaries that claim them to be dangerous - your aunt and uncle fell down the stairs in one and they're fine. Plus, we don't have stairs.) You're dad and I couldn't wait to get home and set it up for you and plop you in it. That's when we noticed that your feet are still a good four or five inches from the ground when you're in it. So.... sorry buddy you're still immobile until your next growth spurt. Unless of course you learn to crawl first, but where's the fun in that?

Speaking of growth spurts, the doctor wants you to fatten up. So I feel like I've been feeding you with the same tenacity the witch in Hansel and Gretel fed all the little children she came across. Except I don't plan on cooking you in the oven. But you get the idea. Eat more so you can climb those percentile charts.

One of my favorite things lately is the way you choose to fall asleep. While I would absolutely love (love love LOVE) if you just fell asleep on your own with no help whatsoever, I don't mind the fact that you make a big stink when you're put in your crib for nap or bedtime so that I'll come in and put my face real close to yours and cover it with kisses. You always immediately close your eyes and start falling asleep and settling down which is special and sweet. Although this usually has to happen a couple times before you actually fall asleep which is the not so fun part.

You're a little pistol Jack, I'm not going to lie. You get that from me. But you're my favorite little boy in the whole wide world and I wouldn't change a thing about you. These last six months, while tiring and trying at times, have been so fun and rewarding and we have you to thank for that as well as the incredible, awesome God who knit you together in the womb and brought you here for a very special and specific purpose.

We can't wait to see what He has in store for you :) Looking forward to next month and all the months to follow as we watch you grow and learn.

Love,

Your Adoring Parents

Deactivating Facebook.

I generally keep the knowledge of this blog's existence to myself. I'll admit it, I'm a closet blogger. I hate associating myself with the term. The word blog makes my skin crawl. I feel like a nerd. I prefer to write to the anonymous void rather than a crowd of people I have to see on a regular basis. I even hate the thought that Tim reads this (he's not allowed to read it when I'm in the same room.)

But since making the decision to deactivate my Facebook account on January 1 (along with Tim) I figured there were a handful of people out there who would want to keep up with our life. So I thought I'd throw caution to the wind and let all 813 of our combined friends know this is where all future updates will be found. Big decision and hopefully not one I come to sorely regret.

Why do I blog if I harbor so much shame for the process? Much like a dieter enjoys the cathartic process of reviewing the number of apples versus pieces of cheese they ate in the day, I find the writing down of menial, everyday goings on a strangely therapeutic way of making a normal life seem fascinating. The real question is who out there is trying to live a more interesting life so they have something better to blog about?

So there you have it. I blog. I'm a blogger. Welcome to my blog.

Merry Christmas!

Sitting at the in-laws, sipping coffee and finally watching A Christmas Story. Half the fam is here, the rest are sick with the flu poor things. Jack is a happy clam :) Timmy gave me the gift of yarn and knitting needles which I get more and more excited about as I anticipate the lovely things I'll be able to make (as soon as I learn how to knit!)

I can't wait for Christmases to come when the magic and wonder of the birth of Christ and the holiday season grows and develops just like our little family. I also can't wait to think on new traditions to build with Jack to make his Christmases just as memorable as ours were as children.

There's so much to look forward to and be thankful for. God is so good.

All the time.

Our pretty little home :)

Recycling.

I like to think of myself as environmentally friendly. Sure, I often leave the water running while I brush my teeth. I don't always buy local produce and I'd rather drive than take the bus. But for the most part - at least when it comes to recycling and littering - I try to be very diligent about being kind to the planet.

The thing is, I'm great at collecting recycling but I'm terrible when it comes to actually recycling it. That is... sorting, bagging and leaving it out on the curb to be collected. I'm not going to lie - I hate that part. So does Tim. But since I take care of the finances, laundry, vacuuming and a few other various household duties, it's given me the opportunity to leave some of my least favorite jobs** to Tim - which basically comes down to... you guessed it... sorting, bagging and putting out the recycling. Unfortunately, Tim finds this task just as tedious as I do, which results in a corner of our kitchen looking like this:

** other "deferred" jobs include (and are limited to) taking out the garbage and emptying the diaper genie, both of which are often also left until overflowing occurs. I've been laughing the whole time I've been writing this post because it humors me to think how lazy we both can be sometimes (clearly, I could do all three of these jobs myself or take care of them pre-overflowing, but that would mean effort and who has time for that?)

Oh... and on that note of being environmentally friendly, I also don't use cloth diapers (hence the diaper genie). That is still a sin (in the non-Biblical sense) in my eyes, but I know myself too well to even begin to believe that if I used cloth, there wouldn't be hundreds of poopy diapers lying around, unwashed (again, with the laziness/procrastination). I guarantee if I used cloth I would forever be without a clean diaper and always resorting to the disposables anyways. I've said it once, and I'll say it again, I applaud all mothers who take the time and care to use cloth.

5 days till Christmas!

As previously mentioned, we're trying to be healthier these days in what we eat, which includes cutting out sugar as much as possible. Today, however, in a very serious tone, Tim said, "I'm really needing some sort of holiday sweet." I half reluctantly agreed to make some sort of Christmas cookie, but wanted to try a new recipe, so I turned to the mother of all crafts and baked goods - Martha Stewart. Outrageous Chocolate Cookies (found here) are what Tim decided on. All I have to say is.... this one's a fail Martha. Tim will probably love them, but I find them sickeningly sweet. Plus, I'm not a fan of cookies that have that hard outer "shell" and are all gooey inside. I should have gone with my initial idea of making chocolate chip banana bread.

Tonight Tim is at his workplace's Christmas party. We'd both forgotten it was tonight and I had all my ideas on how to spend the evening together once Jack was in bed not to mention I was in the midst of making him his cookies... and I'm not going to lie - we had a bit of a disagreement over the whole thing. I admitted I overreacted and made it into a way bigger deal than it needed to be... plus he had kind of sold me on the idea after talking up the gift card raffle that would take place. Things like "$500" and "win big" were some words he used, so I secretly joined him in his anticipation of what sorts of loot he'd get from this event. Maybe he would come home with an early Christmas present!!!!

He won a $10 gift card to Starbucks. Bahahahhahaha.

(not to seem ungrateful of course..... its two cups of coffee we didn't have before I suppose!)

Poop!

Well.... I had my first experience with a seriously poopy diaper.

Tim and I have both been sick the past couple of days - me since Friday, with an upper respiratory version of the flu, Tim with, shall we say... the "lower half" version of the flu. Naturally we have been concerned that Jack would contract one or both strains of the virus. No serious symptoms have arisen, however today he gave me a run for my money with a diaper explosion.

While Tim was getting an MRI, I took Jack out to the car to feed him during which he let out a couple horrendously smelly farts (the rotten egg kind) and them preceded to fill his diaper - to the max - with a liquid form of said fart. Haha - this is so gross, but imagine having to change that diaper!

I was hoping the warmth on his back was just.... sweat? Nope that's definitely poop! And sure enough it had just covered his back and soaked through two onesies, both of which had to be disposed of in the bathroom garbage at the clinic we were at. I admit, I contemplated trying to salvage them but between the giant stains and the foul odor that would follow me around, I decided to leave them behind. Speaking of the bathroom, the area I assumed was meant as a changing station was not lit... at all... so I was trying to wipe poop off of everything in the dark. It was fun, to say the least. Oh, and a nice lady just happened to come in as I was beginning to change him and was kind enough to offer some encouragement even amidst a most offensive smell and the ever-present threat that diarrhea would come shooting out of Jack's bum while I wiped away.

Anyways, we survived. Though I can't seem to get the smell of that poop out of my nostrils.

Baby Bowen

I posted about this little baby boy several weeks back and I'm going to mention him again because he is just so sweet and in a small way, reminds me of Jack. I don't often have warm fuzzy feelings about other people's children, especially children who are complete strangers, but for whatever reason this little baby and his family are heavy on my heart and I feel this deep compassion for them and their situation. I am continuing to pray that God strengthens and comforts this little baby in his distress, as well as his parents. Please visit Bowen's blog (click the link!) and watch the new video... he is so sweet. My heart always breaks when I see the feeding tube coming out of his nose, but I'm so encouraged by his progress and the fact that he's home.

Oh, and I've watched the video Matt posted like 20 times. This baby is SO cute!

Healthy! Woo!

Lately we have been on this pseudo detox/health craze thanks to Cameron and Ellie who are apparently training for a triathlon. I say apparently because I'm still not sure if they know which triathlon it is they're working towards, nor when nor where. But in any case, they asked us to go along with the diet they're on, and so far so good. We've been blindly following Ellie's advice on the detox portion of it which at this point still hasn't eliminated refined sugar... which I'm pretty sure is one of the first things to go. Instead, it was caffeine which resulted in the boys having killer headaches which we all know = caffeine addiction.

Oh, and may I just say that in regards to the word caffeine, the whole "i before e except after c" does not apply here!!!!!!! I had a teacher tell me years ago that that rule is absolute on any word. So now every time I see a word, such as caffeine, where the rule does not apply, I think of that teacher and wish I could call her and say, "Guess what lady?!" Except in a nicer, kinder way :D

I finished all my Christmas gifting for Tim... now I just have to decide on some gift ideas for myself. We decided to keep the limit for spending at $50 for each of us because there's really no need to buy more (or buy at all for that matter) but it does make it difficult to think of more than one or two things that stay within our budget. So far, all I've come up with is a new watch band which Tim feels is terribly boring. I ordered this book for myself the other day (totally off topic) and I'm pretty darn excited about using it. Jack is 7 days from being 6 months old (crazy!) which means real food. We've been cheating a bit early with some of these... which he loves ... but haven't officially started replacing one of his milk meals with a food meal.

Eeeek, I hate too much baby talk because I know it turns into blah blah blah for other people and I always promised myself I wouldn't be that mom that has lost any interest in topics of conversation that don't involve her child(ren).

Ok ... quick what else?! Nope, I've gone blank. I will say I'm soooooo pumped for the Miami Heat/Cleveland Cavs showdown tonight. The return of Lebron... what will the Cleveland fans do? I'm not a sports person, but when Lebron was here I really got into basketball. Since "taking his talents to South Beach" I've reverted back to a blissful indifference to sporting events, except of course for this one monumental game. And of course I'm hoping Miami loses.

Oh and did I mention that I love, love, LOVE that it's Christmas season and that when it's chilly outside I can be inside all cozy with my friends and family playing Settlers and sipping hot tea with toast? Well I do!