Tuesday I moved Kailin's bed into Colby's room. (That is now to say that I moved her in there on a Tuesday.... since I started this post on 9/25 and here it is 10/7 and I'm finally finishing it up!)
We hadn't been sleeping well since he'd been up 5-6 times a night since last Friday. Virus. I hate that diagnosis. Not that I want something clinically wrong with my child, but clearly something was wrong with him anyway and at least there's hope of a medication or treatment to alleviate the constant agony (for me - ha ha). Constant whining and fussing and sleeplessness is more like it and this time I do mean Colby (well, and me after a few days!). Anyway, virus is not music to any mom's ears because it simply means that you have to wait it out. I'm not particularly big on medicating my kids for every little illness, but I'd have done it to be rid of that one. Anyway...
We've been wanting to move the kids in together since it became apparent that we'd be staying in this house. We have several motives. First, both Steve and I shared a room with siblings as young kids and we agree that it's good for kids to do. Secondly, the original plan was to put Kailin in the room Colby's in before he came home and give him the smaller room because a. he's smaller b. he, as a boy, would be less likely to care in the long run about the size of his room (please do not send me 900 emails about being gender biased - I'm basing this on the fact that when I brought up that we'd need a reason to give Kailin later on about why her room is smaller (since we'd decided NOT to move her across the hall when we put the house on the market to avoid having her move rooms, get a new brother and move houses - pick your order) Steve said "she won't ever care...") so this way if someone "moves out" of their shared room, we can move Colby to the smaller room without having to make them swap entirely. Lastly, IF we have a third child, the sex of that child will determine which kids share the larger room permanently and which one gets the smaller room to themselves. (throw in that we can then use Kailin's old room as a play room and get some of the toys out of our living room and it was hard to find reasons not to make this the plan!)
Anyway, I was spoiled on the first day and they napped beautifully. It was all a ploy to let me do the happy dance and then SNATCH IT AWAY the very next day by jumping in their beds and hooting and hollering and carrying on like banshees for two full hours without ever sleeping. I'm happy to say that we've got the entertainment portion of nap down to just about 10-15 mins most days and that they're pretty regularly going right to sleep at night.
The best part is that I've seen them become so much closer since they've shared a room. They seem more aware of/concerned about each other's whereabouts and welfare and they play together much more often than they were. It could all be happenstance, but I don't think so.
Now our next move is to start buying pieces of the bedroom set we want for them. It's a campout theme with little pup tents that will attach to their beds. We are making plans to paint their room with a backyard theme and glow in the dark fireflies on the walls so that they can have their little backyard campout every night. Idyllic yes, unrealistic - probably, but I can't wait, anyway!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Stuck!!!
Stuck is Colby's new word. It doesn't sound like stuck to anyone but me, but that's what it means. It sounds a little like it has an 's', but it doesn't really - it's more of a d, so it comes out a little more like "duhc". He uses it correctly, though. Tonight some toys were "duhc" in the bathketball thing in the tub. And then he was "duhc" in his high chair after dinner.
We've got bubbles (clearly) now as well.
He's getting there. He's attempting to sing the abc's as well, but only has some of the sounds down and isn't really saying the letters at all. It's adorable and I'll be filming it the very next chance I get!
We've got bubbles (clearly) now as well.
He's getting there. He's attempting to sing the abc's as well, but only has some of the sounds down and isn't really saying the letters at all. It's adorable and I'll be filming it the very next chance I get!
Howdy, Harners! I just already....
Howdy Harners!!! It's been awhile, hasn't it?!
Who are the Harners, you may be asking... I was asking the same question for about two weeks. Kailin was constantly saying it. Harners. I was stumped. The Harners seemed to be everywhere, though.
Then I finally caught it. She was watching her beloved Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and there it was, "Howdy, Pardners!" The Harner mystery was solved once and for all. She's got it mostly right now, but the Harners still make an appearance now and again.
I jus already is the other thing she's saying at the moment. Put it in anytime! It's the universal phrase (whether you just already did whatever it was or not):
"Kailin, please go potty before bed." "I jus already did."
"Kailin, would you please give Daddy kisses and hugs?" "I just already give Daddy kisses and hugs!"
(hollered down the hall after we arrive home) "Take your shoes off, please!" "I jus already take my shoes off, Mama!"
It's cute, actually, and makes me smile a little every time I hear it.
Who are the Harners, you may be asking... I was asking the same question for about two weeks. Kailin was constantly saying it. Harners. I was stumped. The Harners seemed to be everywhere, though.
Then I finally caught it. She was watching her beloved Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and there it was, "Howdy, Pardners!" The Harner mystery was solved once and for all. She's got it mostly right now, but the Harners still make an appearance now and again.
I jus already is the other thing she's saying at the moment. Put it in anytime! It's the universal phrase (whether you just already did whatever it was or not):
"Kailin, please go potty before bed." "I jus already did."
"Kailin, would you please give Daddy kisses and hugs?" "I just already give Daddy kisses and hugs!"
(hollered down the hall after we arrive home) "Take your shoes off, please!" "I jus already take my shoes off, Mama!"
It's cute, actually, and makes me smile a little every time I hear it.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
A late season bounty...
Today was a bountiful one.
A bounty of medical maladies started our day...I have a nasty cold, Steve pinched something in his back looks like a question mark, and Kailin's lower left eyelid was inexplicably swollen. Colby has a bruise on his cheekbone but it otherwise (for now) healthy.
Our second bounty today is a bounty in a different sense. The Jeep has been in the driveway with a flat tire for a little over a week now. That alone wouldn't give us pause, but the other major issue we've faced with the Jeep as of late is that if you hit a bump, the front end begins to shake uncontrollably. That one worried us - both from a safety standpoint and from a monetary one. The Jeep has 191k miles on it and she's been quite a workhorse and would be well deserving of retirement if some major malady afflicted her. Unfortunately, we just don't have the money for a car payment right now. So retiring Bessie would mean becoming a one car family for the foreseeable future. We took her in to the garage last night with a note explaining the situation and asking that they call us with an estimate before doing any work. To our great joy, the verdict came in and the bill should be about $180 all told. A far cry from what we had imagined. What a delight and a blessing!
The final bounty of the day came from our former neighbor's garden. They've moved to Florida and their house is as yet unsold. We've been given the go ahead to reap whatever we'd like. My intention today was to gather some green beans, a butternut squash, a couple of tomatoes, and some rhubarb. I'd spied just a few raspberries out the kitchen window the other day and planned to grab those as well. To my great joy there was at least a pint of berries out there! What a late season surprise that was! The kids did most of them in for dinner, but seeing the delight on Colby's face as I brought them in (he said "hi" to them repeatedly and beckoned them with his hand....beyond adorable!) was well worth every berry I don't eat!
Thanks be to God for this bountiful day! (well, maybe not the bounty of medical maladies - but that has given us two full days of family time so I really can't complain about that one, either!)
A bounty of medical maladies started our day...I have a nasty cold, Steve pinched something in his back looks like a question mark, and Kailin's lower left eyelid was inexplicably swollen. Colby has a bruise on his cheekbone but it otherwise (for now) healthy.
Our second bounty today is a bounty in a different sense. The Jeep has been in the driveway with a flat tire for a little over a week now. That alone wouldn't give us pause, but the other major issue we've faced with the Jeep as of late is that if you hit a bump, the front end begins to shake uncontrollably. That one worried us - both from a safety standpoint and from a monetary one. The Jeep has 191k miles on it and she's been quite a workhorse and would be well deserving of retirement if some major malady afflicted her. Unfortunately, we just don't have the money for a car payment right now. So retiring Bessie would mean becoming a one car family for the foreseeable future. We took her in to the garage last night with a note explaining the situation and asking that they call us with an estimate before doing any work. To our great joy, the verdict came in and the bill should be about $180 all told. A far cry from what we had imagined. What a delight and a blessing!
The final bounty of the day came from our former neighbor's garden. They've moved to Florida and their house is as yet unsold. We've been given the go ahead to reap whatever we'd like. My intention today was to gather some green beans, a butternut squash, a couple of tomatoes, and some rhubarb. I'd spied just a few raspberries out the kitchen window the other day and planned to grab those as well. To my great joy there was at least a pint of berries out there! What a late season surprise that was! The kids did most of them in for dinner, but seeing the delight on Colby's face as I brought them in (he said "hi" to them repeatedly and beckoned them with his hand....beyond adorable!) was well worth every berry I don't eat!
Thanks be to God for this bountiful day! (well, maybe not the bounty of medical maladies - but that has given us two full days of family time so I really can't complain about that one, either!)
Monday, September 15, 2008
He's our winner....
We entered Colby in a cutest baby "my pride and joy" photo contest through a local radio station awhile back. He was 1 of 94 and then one of 54 and then one of 21 and then one of 12. Today we learned that he didn't win or place. He's still a winner in my book and I love him like no other!
Here's the photo we used (it's the Captain Cocoabeard one from a gazillion blog posts ago):
Mom! Do you see....
Church was an adventure yesterday. We got off to a late start so Steve stashed Colby in the nursery while Kailin and I went in to sit down. Both kids were up late on Saturday night, so they were both overtired. Colby was his amiable little self, but Kailin was antsy. Not a good attribute for church. She wiggled around and did her coloring, but she was mostly quiet for the first part of the service. Toward the middle things started getting out of hand. I pulled her onto my lap.
The sermon began. I noticed that one of her classmates, Gillian, had a stuffed dog two pews ahead of us. We've always told Kailin that there are no animals allowed in church. I hoped she wouldn't notice. No such luck. She hissed, "Mooooom! There are NO dogs allowed in church." I whispered that I knew that. She hissed, "WHY does she have a dog in church?" I whispered that I guessed her mommy and daddy had decided it was okay. She was satisfied and I said a little prayer of thanks! She was quiet for a few minutes and then as if a light bulb had gone off in her head, she said in a loud whisper, "MOM!!!!! Do you see God up there?" Rather than go into a philosophical discussion about how we can see God everywhere (and because I was TRYING to listen to the sermon), I just said, "No, honey, that's Pastor Paul!" I stifled a laugh.
Things went downhill from there. Steve ended up taking Kailin to the nursery. Colby thought he was getting picked up and then both kids were wailing. Thankfully, they both stopped fairly quickly. Kailin was VERY disappointed when we came to pick Colby up from nursery and she had to stay - her Sunday School is in the same room. There was MUCH wailing. We hid out for a few minutes to see if she'd stop and she did.
We ran off to Target to pick up a few things and Colby picked out a (much more expensive than is normally justified) stuffed bear. He's calling him Bearby now and is already very attached. I'm a little nervous because the thing says, "spot clean only" and I can already tell you that there will be more than spots in need of cleaning in the not too distant future!
The sermon began. I noticed that one of her classmates, Gillian, had a stuffed dog two pews ahead of us. We've always told Kailin that there are no animals allowed in church. I hoped she wouldn't notice. No such luck. She hissed, "Mooooom! There are NO dogs allowed in church." I whispered that I knew that. She hissed, "WHY does she have a dog in church?" I whispered that I guessed her mommy and daddy had decided it was okay. She was satisfied and I said a little prayer of thanks! She was quiet for a few minutes and then as if a light bulb had gone off in her head, she said in a loud whisper, "MOM!!!!! Do you see God up there?" Rather than go into a philosophical discussion about how we can see God everywhere (and because I was TRYING to listen to the sermon), I just said, "No, honey, that's Pastor Paul!" I stifled a laugh.
Things went downhill from there. Steve ended up taking Kailin to the nursery. Colby thought he was getting picked up and then both kids were wailing. Thankfully, they both stopped fairly quickly. Kailin was VERY disappointed when we came to pick Colby up from nursery and she had to stay - her Sunday School is in the same room. There was MUCH wailing. We hid out for a few minutes to see if she'd stop and she did.
We ran off to Target to pick up a few things and Colby picked out a (much more expensive than is normally justified) stuffed bear. He's calling him Bearby now and is already very attached. I'm a little nervous because the thing says, "spot clean only" and I can already tell you that there will be more than spots in need of cleaning in the not too distant future!
New pants...
I had to do it. Saturday I bought new jeans. I swore I wouldn't. I hoped I wouldn't need to. I'm sure you've guessed by now that the new jeans were not purchased because my old ones wore out (although the two pair that still fit did wear out last week. One pair I'd had since HIGH SCHOOL and the other pair was at least 5 years old). I'd love to report that my old jeans were all too big for me, but that would be a big fat lie. No, they're too small. I can still get them on. I can wear them. But they don't make me feel very good about myself and they aren't very comfortable. I don't enjoy wearing them and I don't enjoy the feeling I get when I'm wearing them. I thought it would motivate me to lose a little weight, but so far all it's done is depress me.
The chilly weather is a comin' here and something had to be done. I bought 2 new pair of jeans which, along with some other pants I have(wind pants, etc), should get me through the week. I thought it would depress me. Instead, I love them. They are a perfect fit, and have invigorated me and renewed my interest in fitting into my old jeans again. Funny how you don't know yourself as well as you think even after 33 years of being you. I thought I was sure that if I bought some jeans in the next size up, that would become my new size (as it has in the past) and I'd think "why bother" and I would just keep doing that until I was enormous and unable to fit through the door. Okay, maybe not that bad, but my past has shown me the dangers of buying jeans one size up.
I'm no skinny Minnie - never have been - have come to terms with the idea that I never will be even if I try. I'm not built that way for starters. I have a broad back and broad shoulders. I'd look dumb as a size 4. I'd be disproportionate. And I like food. I like it a lot. I don't need to eat vast quantities of it (all the time - sometimes I do... ha ha ha), but I do enjoy it. I like sweet stuff. I always will. I know that trying to change that is futile so I try to eat in moderation and get some exercise in. I strive for mediocrity. Ha ha. I'd just like to be average. I will be average. But not today. So for today I'm going to wear my new, much more comfortable, jeans and enjoy the idea that my old jeans could be this comfortable again by Thanksgiving if I put my mind to it. Then I'm going to hop to it and make that a reality. Stay tuned for updates on the jeans fit situation. And if I ever report that I've had to buy jeans ANOTHER size up, somebody come and tape my mouth shut!!!
The chilly weather is a comin' here and something had to be done. I bought 2 new pair of jeans which, along with some other pants I have(wind pants, etc), should get me through the week. I thought it would depress me. Instead, I love them. They are a perfect fit, and have invigorated me and renewed my interest in fitting into my old jeans again. Funny how you don't know yourself as well as you think even after 33 years of being you. I thought I was sure that if I bought some jeans in the next size up, that would become my new size (as it has in the past) and I'd think "why bother" and I would just keep doing that until I was enormous and unable to fit through the door. Okay, maybe not that bad, but my past has shown me the dangers of buying jeans one size up.
I'm no skinny Minnie - never have been - have come to terms with the idea that I never will be even if I try. I'm not built that way for starters. I have a broad back and broad shoulders. I'd look dumb as a size 4. I'd be disproportionate. And I like food. I like it a lot. I don't need to eat vast quantities of it (all the time - sometimes I do... ha ha ha), but I do enjoy it. I like sweet stuff. I always will. I know that trying to change that is futile so I try to eat in moderation and get some exercise in. I strive for mediocrity. Ha ha. I'd just like to be average. I will be average. But not today. So for today I'm going to wear my new, much more comfortable, jeans and enjoy the idea that my old jeans could be this comfortable again by Thanksgiving if I put my mind to it. Then I'm going to hop to it and make that a reality. Stay tuned for updates on the jeans fit situation. And if I ever report that I've had to buy jeans ANOTHER size up, somebody come and tape my mouth shut!!!
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