Big News

 

 

No, I am not pregnant.

But I don’t blame you for kind of hoping that I am- I always hope that the bloggers I read will wind up pregnant.

Nothing like an unplanned pregnancy to make a blog more interesting!

I would have to say that our big news is a close second.

We are moving!

We found out for sure Friday, and we are moving on Thursday.  Or maybe Friday.  The movers can’t let us know until Wednesday. (ulcers, anyone?)

Can you guess where we are moving to?

Yep, we are heading to New York!  And not just anywhere in New York.  We are moving to the city that’s so nice, they named it twice – New York, New York!

Brian had a job opportunity fall into our laps, and we found that we couldn’t really turn down this new experience.

It is crazy!

It is stressful!

It is scary!

It is EXCITING!

And I am so proud of us for snatching up this opportunity and adventure.  Way to live life Brian and Caitlin!! (patting myself on my back, feel free to join in…)

So, I am sorry if I am absent for the next several days (weeks?)while I throw away almost everything we own, offload a car, take a quick trip to Oregon to visit family, and then move across the country.

In the meantime, imagine me calmly folding things and putting them into boxes while my children laugh and play quietly.

Because maybe if we imagine hard enough it will happen?

(the reality involves stress-induced stomach aches, potty training regression, massive amounts of caffeine and sugar…  And more!)

Oh, and a few facts about NYC:

- The population of the city is roughly 5-6 times more than the ENTIRE STATE OF IDAHO.

- I only know two people East of the Mississippi.  One is a cousin in Minnesota.  One is an Aunt in North Carolina.  I know NOBODY in New York. (other than fellow bloggers that I am planning on stalking…)

-NYC is almost 3000 miles away from our family back in Oregon.

- I have never ridden in a subway or a taxi, and homeless people make me uncomfortable.

.

This blog is about to get a lot more interesting people! 

(running inside to get the piece of gum that I promised he could have if he smiled for a picture…)

Why We Are Refraining from Shipping Joseph Off to Military School (Terrible Twos Much?)

 

* His new catch phrase is “You betcha!”  As in:

“Joseph, can you put this in the trash for me?”  

“You betcha!”

“Can you finish up your milk?” 

“You betcha!”

“Honey, you have to stop pooping in your underwear EVERY DAY!!!” 

“You betcha!”

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*  Besides a few incidents (see above) he is officially potty trained!  A task that he mastered in about a week!

It is seriously ridiculous how excited this has made me.

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* When you climb into his bed to snuggle him before nap, he will cover you up with his blankie and lightly rub your back.  I pretend like I’m asleep so he’ll do it longer.

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*  He says “Goodness Gracious!” all the time, and sometimes even shortens it to “Goodness Grace!”  Enough said?

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*  His temper tantrums are actually EXTREMELY impressive, and fun to watch.(Assuming that you are not, say, in the Fred Meyer checkout line?)

He does this full-body fish flapping around and gasping for air thing that is just incredible. 

AND you can see clear down his esophagus. 

I’m not exaggerating. 

We are thinking about making it a party trick.

(“Joseph, show everyone your fish-flapping thing.  No?  Fine then, its night-night tiiiiime!  Haha, THERE IT IS!!”)

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*  As a result of our secret plan to have him grow up with an English accent (so. cute.), Joseph has progressed from calling suckers “lollipop”s to now, on occasion, “lolly”s.

  Awesome. (Next up, “knickers”…)

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Basically, he is a riot, and despite all of the Terrible Two incidents we encounter, we loooooove him.

 

Which is something to remember when the little “riot” punches you square in the eye.

(while yelling “PUNCHEROOONIE!!!!”)

 

Insert picture of me running like a graceful gazelle here…

 

I decided that I needed to come up with some sort of a new fitness plan.

Because “Make sure that I’m (more than 20 weeks) pregnant for my 10 year reunion so that no one notices that I have actually gotten chubbier- they just think it’s because of the baby” is the plan that I was going with so far.  And it is probably not the best.

.

Thus, I began my new running routine.

And by running I mean jogging.

And by jogging I mean sometimes walking.

Basically, I am following these guidelines.

And- surprise!- it is actually going swimmingly! (joggingly? too much?)

I am about 5 weeks in and, despite all of my past exercise-criticism, I have to say that I – gasp!- kind of enjoy it!

.

Let me explain.  My days, although deeply wonderful and fulfilling, are also exhausting and filled with bodily fluids.

My children cling to me like monkeys, and if I have to hear “watch a movie? watch a movie? watch a movie?” one more time, someone is getting it.

So, when evening rolls around a nice run (jog/walk) sounds like a mini vacation.

.

My secret:

The first half of my run, I envision that I am actually running AWAY FROM MY FAMILY!  And I love it! 

I imagine those little anemone-arms clinging to my legs, the poop that I keep finding (yes, finding), and the spit-up that covers every surface.  

I picture the dishes and the laundry and those pesky showers that still won’t clean themselves and I

ESCAAAAAAPE!  through the neighborhood.

.

Then, at a certain point in my workout (usually when I start to think “hmmm…I might pass out.  This sucks!’) I turn around.

.

And then, I am running HOME TO MY FAMILY.

Back to my sweet babies who might be crying for me and needing me to hold them. (Joseph is known to ask if he can “Tell mommy ‘I love you?’”over and over when I’m not there for bedtime.)

Back to their sweet little smiles and their soft cheeks.

Back to my darling husband who is waiting to ask me “how did it go?” and then listen sympathetically as I flop on the ground panting and complain about my knees, shins, lungs, thighs, etc.

For some reason, I feel like I can’t get there fast enough.

.

So, that is my secret to success (so far!) in this get-fit scheme.

And thank goodness!

Because heaven knows I am not giving up chocolate.

 

5 years ago today

 

Today is our anniversary

 

IT’s hard to believe that it has been five years!

Although, when I was writing this post, I originally said 10 years by mistake.

Which I will take as a good omen (if I believed in omens, which I don’t think I do) that the next 5 years are going to go just as quickly.

  

And be just as wonderful.

 

(with just as many new kids?)

Happy Anniversary Brian!

PS:   Brian: when I said that I didn’t want an anniversary present, I was just joking.  I hope you knew that and are bringing something home today.

PPS:  Just joking again.

PPPS: Or am I?

I am a light, pastel green…or maybe a teal?

The other day, I was hanging my cloth diapers out to dry on a makeshift laundry line

with my baby strapped to my back

 
(and legs that haven't been shaved in weeks)

and I thought:

“wow. wow. wow!

I am an Earth Mama.  Talk about living GREEN!”

And then, I went inside and discovered some ants in my entryway (why?)

I sprayed them dead, dead, dead with my big shiny can of Raid.

And I thought:

”hmmm.  I'm still learning.”

My Grandpa

 

A short post in honor of my Grandpa, who passed away earlier today.

He was the biggest character I have ever met, and I love seeing his Grandpa-is-teasing twinkle immerging in my own Dad’s eyes.

(winking at the camera at my wedding)

My favorite memory of him: I had been staying with my Grandparents for several days during summer vacation in high school.  I apologized to him saying, “Man, Grandpa, I have been staying with you for so long.  I hope I’m not disrupting your life too much!”

He twinkled his eyes at me and said, “Maybe my SEX life!” and slapped my Grandma on the rear as she yelled “BOBBY! Stop it!”

May we all be getting our rears slapped by our husbands when we are in our 70s.

Glad that they are together again tonight.

Isn’t it good to know that you have loved ones waiting to greet you on the other side?  Even though they will be missed on this one.

Half-birthday

 

 

 

 

I have certainly been posting a lot of pictures of Isaac lately, but today he is six months old and I couldn’t let that pass me by without a post!

Plus Joseph is too busy throwing temper tantrums to sit still for a picture.

(Joking!)

(Mostly.)

.

It is hard to believe that my little baby is six whole months already!  After today he will be closer to age 1 than to his birth! WAAAH!  My baby!!  (I should probably go take my birth control pill right now before I make any rash decisions.)

Isaac at 6 months

Dear Isaac,

I can’t believe that you are six months old!

You have turned into such a jolly, happy baby.

It turns out that when I thought you were a difficult baby, you actually had ACID BURNING YOUR ESOPHAGUS. (reflux.)  Sorry about that, buddy.

Now you are a good solid medium-behaved baby. (Although your Grandma says that is just because I have been beaten down by Joseph and that by normal standards you are still…shall we say…a tad CHALLENGING.)

You love being carried around all. day. long and snuggled; mostly by me. (who can blame you?) 

I think that your favorite place to be is in my arms, but watching your Daddy and brother- who are both super Hi-larious!!

We have started you on solids, and to everyone’s surprise you are just “meh” about them.  As in, “Meh.  This baby food is just okay.  But I will take that fudgcicle you are holding RIGHT NOW GIMME GIMME WAAAAAH!!!”

You are a bit opinionated.

But so smiley and friendly.

And also the biggest 6 month old…well…ever maybe?  25 pounds is incredible.  And incredibly cute.

We love you.

-Mommy

PS Can’t believe we got another blue-eyed blondie!

 

Nursling

 

“Nursling” is the official word for someone who is breastfed.  Isn’t it the cutest? 

I have determined that I will use it as much as humanly possible.

(“Come here little nursling!” “Is that my nursling I hear waking up?”  “Keep an ear out for the nursling!”) 

Brian should prepare himself now.

.

In honor of World Breastfeeding Week (don’t tell me that you all don’t keep track of when that is too…) I thought I would whip up a post about breastfeeding.

I have a unique perspective to share,

Because here’s the thing:

I sometimes hate it.

That’s right.

I KNOW that it is the best thing for the baby, and it is a terrific bonding experience…but it has never come easy to me and mine.

.

Let me start out by saying that, if you did not / do not breastfeed your child, you will receive no judgment from me!  Some women cannot, some women chose not to.. bottom line is it is a HUGE commitment, and if you don’t think you can stick it out, then that is your choice.  No one else can breastfeed your kid. (well…kind of.  Let’s not go there mmkay?)  Basically your boobs = your choice.

.

As for me, I have always struggled.

Cracked nipples (remember this post?! Ack!), clogged ducts, mastitis, stretch marks… yeah.  IF you had told the younger me all that my fun-bags would go through, I would have burst into tears. 

However, fear not, dear readers.  They are now like leather and I feel no pain (or any sensation at all.  If you know what I mean.)

My children have also never been really good at nursing.  They pop off, they bite, they stretch, they decide they are done just when my milk let’s down and squirts them in the face… It does not come easy.

With all of these trials, you would think that I would have turned to formula long ago.

At times I have held warm washcloths to my aching chest and eyed that free carton of formula they send home with you from the hospital (darn them!) longingly.

But, here is the bottom line:

.

About once a day, there comes a breastfeeding session that is absolute heaven.

Isaac falls asleep while nursing, and I see a satisfied smile flit across his face.

There is no popping off or yanking, he just gets the job done.

Then, he lets go and snuggles up to my breast, milk dripping out of his mouth, totally satisfied.

I look at this mammoth baby and his dimpled knuckles, cleavage (Gaah!  Baby cleavage! couldn’t you just die?), and rolls.  And I think- I did this.  I have sustained him, by myself, for the past six months, and turned him into the fattest, jolliest little guy I have ever seen.

And then I absolutely love it.

And my little nursling too.

(mid nursing- popping off to see why in the world I am taking a picture at a time like this)