I can't believe it

They did it! Those darn little rascals did it! They took a cute picture together! It only took 10 months, but hey, they DID it.

Miraculously, it also only took about 5 minutes. I had my camera handy and said "hey, let's go outside and take a few pictures." Of course Jacob's response was, "and then I can get fruit snacks?" (By the way, what IS it with these gummy treats? Jacob has been obsessed with them since he was first introduced and I swear the kid will do anything for them!) So, I said "if you are really good, smile, and don't knock Maddie down, I'll give you fruit snacks." Literally, I sat them both down outside, did a silly dance while holding the camera, they both smiled and laughed, and 5 minutes later we were done. It was way too stinking easy.

Voila!!

Baby Teeth

Have I mentioned that Maddie is finally teething? I think I briefly mentioned it recently but I've been meaning to officially document it in the blog. I noticed the dark spot on her bottom left front tooth around the beginning of July. Since I have been fooled into thinking she was teething countless times in the last few months, I wasn't confident that this was the real thing. But then I felt that sharp edge and now I have something to blame her continued fussiness/irritability on!

The tooth finally popped through about 2 weeks ago and the other one next to it quickly followed. They are about half way up now and you can see them peeking through when she smiles. SO cute! We think her top left one is making it's way through as well, but once again, I won't be confident until I feel that sharp edge. I'm still shocked that it took 9 1/2 months for Maddie to get her first tooth when Jacob had his at 5 1/2 months!

Check out our baby and her little teeth :)

(as always, you can click on the picture to enlarge it so you can see those little teeth buds!)




And just a few more pics for good measure :)







SO Big!



I can't keep a bow on this little girl anymore to save my life



She takes them out and then immediately tries to put them back in

And the winner is...

When I picked Jacob up from school today, the first thing they said to me was "Jacob won 'best car' in his class!!" I just started laughing because I knew Grandpa would be proud (he worked SO hard!) Jacob received a certificate and some sidewalk chalk as a prize and bragging rights...of course.

The teachers told me that Jacob wouldn't let any of the other kids come near his car, let alone TOUCH it. I guess that sharing thing went right out the window.

Ms. Julie also told me that there were FOUR Lightning McQueen's in her class alone!

This was the sign posted outside of Jacob's classroom:



And on the whiteboard inside his room:



I had to take a close up picture of the other really decked out Lightning McQueen car. You can tell a lot of love went into this one too! Talk about competition!

PSE Car Day

We absolutely love Jacob's preschool. So much so that when I told them we were moving, I almost started bawling to the Director. I managed to hold back the tears until I got in the car but, at the time, I was completely overwhelmed with the thought of finding another preschool that we love in California. Since then, we have found one that we like and we can only hope that Jacob is as happy there as he has been at PSE.

Why do I love PSE? They do super fun things like "Car Day". For today's big day, we were told to decorate a cardboard box like a car and the kids will "drive" their cars around school all day. Well, let me tell you, I knew this was going to get out of control. I could go crazy with something like this. Of course, my first idea was that we had to create a Lightning McQueen car. When my Dad arrived in town on Monday, I quickly realized why it's in my genes to go crazy with something like this. No joke, I think he went to Walgreens, Hobby Lobby and Lowes (some of these places he visited twice) to get all of the materials for our car. Do you like how I just said "our" car? This is also what I realized in this process. It's no longer about the child involved. It wasn't Jacob's project anymore. It became "our" car rather quickly.

Thank goodness my Dad took it upon himself to help. I would have probably spent the whole week working on it during naps and bedtimes and it would have ended up frustrating me to the core. Thanks Dad!

Jacob was super excited to take his car to school today. When I walked in his room, I nearly fell over in laughter. There were three Lightning McQueen cars. Three!! I guess we won't win any points for originality. But I have to say, ours was the best looking car there. Yes, I said ours. :)

The finished product:













The "road" at the entrance of PSE:



Jacob's homeroom. Notice the other Lightning McQueen cars!



Jacob's was the biggest car by far.



The gas station!



The car wash!



Another room full of cars...



And another...




I can't wait to hear about the rest of Jacob's day. Apparently, they will be going to Driver's Ed, getting their cars inspected, going through the car wash and gas station, and watching a drive in movie while eating popcorn! Can I go back and spend the day with them?

Funny brother and split pants

So much to write about and so little time! Grandma and Grandpa just left after being here for a few days to help while Mark is out of town. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa! More than anything, I feel less lonely when my parents are here and I sleep better at night knowing there are more ears in this house to listen for those little night cries.

Jacob took one of his incredible marathon naps today and at about 3 hours, I decided it was time to wake him up (or I'd never get him to bed at a reasonable hour). So, Maddie and I snuck in his room and lightly patted his leg to wake him. This never works, by the way. Inevitably, as soon as Maddie sees Jacob stir, she shrieks in excitement and the poor kid is awoken by screaming. Oh well, he seems to get a kick out of it. But today, he sat up with his sleepy little eyes and looked at me and said (as he stretched) "Mmmmm, that was a gooood nap." Then he got up and slid down his slide. I don't know why, but it was one of the funniest things I've ever heard/seen him do.

And, later today, would you believe Maddie SPLIT her pants? You know the kind of split I'm talking about. The my-pants-are-too-tight-and-when-I-bend-over-I-might-split-them-in-half kind. She literally did just that. She was crazy crawling around the floor and when she bent over, all I could see was diaper! Did I mention these were 12 month pants she just split down the middle? She's not even 10 months yet!! Good Lord, she is so much like her brother it's silly. I'm glad I've been investing in 18 month stuff lately!

More to come - but I've got a busy night ahead of me. Check the blog this weekend for the unveiling of Jacob's Lightning McQueen cardboard car! Don't even ask....

The Amateur Photographer

Jacob has found a sudden interest in taking pictures with our little point and shoot Lumix. I went to download the pictures and videos from it last night and it said "downloading 177 files". 177!!! I have no idea how he took this many pictures with our camera, but I was laughing out loud while going through them. I also saw the pictures progress from his finger covering the lens to actually capturing a face! Practice makes perfect I guess.

Notice the finger over the lens:



Not a bad one of Daddy and Maddie:



I think he was trying to get Daddy and Maddie in this one again but only got Maddie and her drool:



I love this mid-yawn picture of Maddie in the car:



And I love that he captured this -- Maddie crying in the car. What else is new. This child screams whenever she is strapped in her car seat.



Tired after a long week single parenting:



Not a bad one of me and Maddie before giving her a bath:



And another:

Baby Proofing

We never really baby proofed our house when Jacob started moving. All we did was cover the outlets and put a gate at the bottom of the stairs. He was never interested in getting into cabinets, drawers, etc. so we didn't lock our house down with all kinds of gadgets. Also, since we only had one child, it was easy to keep a close eye on him.

Oh how times have changed. Maddie is going to be totally different, I can already see it. After her bath tonight (which she will no longer sit down for - as soon as you put her on her bottom, she uses the side of the tub to pull herself up to stand up and jump up and down), she was crawling around the floor naked (b/c it's impossible to get her diaper on) and she crawled right over to the doorstop and pulled it 20 times until the white rubber stopper on the end came out. Then she stuck in right in her mouth. I grabbed it immediately, obviously, and put it away in a drawer. Then, she used the wall to pull herself up, cruised over to the outlet and pulled the nightlight right out. Then she went for the hair dryer. Good grief. Jacob was NEVER interested in these things. I imagine babyproofing this time around is going to be a more involved process because a) she's more curious than a cat and b) I've got 2 to keep my eye on!

Changing subjects, Jacob's imagination is crazy wild these days. For example, this was the conversation we had over dinner tonight:
Jacob: Daddy, remember the time when the frog jumped in my cereal and I ate it??
Mark: You ATE a frog??
Me: Is he jumping around in your belly right now?
Jacob: No, he's at the zoo
Mark: How did he get to the zoo?
Jacob: I pooped him out and flushed him in the toilet and then he went to the zoo.

Man, I wish I could come up with this stuff. It really makes you wonder how a 3 year old thinks!

No More Centipede

Maddie is really on the move now. No more centipede action for her. She's up on all fours crawling like a "normal" baby. And she's getting fast! She's also pulling herself up on anything and everything. Watch out if you happen to be sitting on the floor in the same room with her. She will tackle you and pinch whatever part of your body is accessible so that she can get a good enough grip to hoist herself up. It kinda hurts!

She's also becoming a big fan of waving. I was watching Ellen earlier on TV and at one point, a guest came out and was waving to the audience. Lo and behold, I look over and Maddie is waving back to him on the television. I just about died! That little stinker is TOO CUTE. She pulled her little green bow out of her hair today and kept trying to put it back on her head. She didn't understand why it kept falling to the ground. But, each time, she'd just pick it up and try and stick it back on her head. Ah, she makes mama laugh out loud.

Jacob makes mama laugh too. Here's a piece of our conversation in the car yesterday:
Jacob: Mommy, when I get bigger can I have a car?
me: Sure! But you have to get much bigger first.
Jacob: Yeah mommy, when I get bigger like Daddy, I can drive you around in the car.
me: You'll drive me around? That's so nice!
Jacob: Yeah mommy, you can sit in my lap and I'll drive you around.

HA. The image of that just had me in stitches. But that kid sure is sweet to think of that all by himself.

Here's a video of Maddie on the move:

This is what I'm talking about people

Does your heart not melt when you see this face?!

"Why Parents Hate Parenting"

I read an article tonight entitled "All Joy and No Fun. Why Parents Hate Parenting." I was intrigued by the title (as a parent, how can you not want to know what's written inside) and also slightly relieved by its insinuation. There are really other people out there that hate parenting?

Don't squint your eyes just yet and contemplate flogging me. I'll get to my point eventually in this post.

Here's the thing. Do I love my children more than my own life/my own existence? Absolutely. Do I think my life would be incomplete without these little people running around me all day? No doubt about it. Do I look at them when they are sleeping and feel my heart breaking because I'm terrified of this big, bad world harming them? Every. Single. Day.

Do I love the job of parenting...the feeding, the wiping, the disciplining, the cleaning, the screaming, the calming, the dressing, the bathing, the night waking, the TEETHING, and the list goes on...well, I'd have to say nope, I don't love it so much. (GASP! Get your jaw off the floor!)

I love the way the article begins. A father is telling a story of how excited he was to see his son when he came home from work. His son was sitting on the doorstep waiting for him and when he saw his father, a moment of pure elation is shared between both of them. And then not even 5 seconds later, when Dad walks through the door, son is throwing a tantrum about a broken toy that Dad is not fixing fast enough and the whole ordeal ends in a timeout in the son's room. So much for that 5 second blissful welcome home.

I think every parent can relate to this. This story especially hit home with me because I've experienced it so many times that I literally have to say to myself multiple times a day, "What the heck just happened here? I was just filled with this moment of intense happiness and excitement when I saw you and your adorable smiling face, but now the walls are tumbling down around us and I want to scream and pull my hair out."

"As a rule, most studies show that mothers are less happy than fathers, that single parents are less happy still, that babies and toddlers are the hardest, and that each successive child produces diminishing returns." (Jaemie especially liked this quote too and wanted me to specifically point out the picture of the hairy guy on page 2. Enjoy.)

This is an astounding sentence. Why, in the world then, do most people choose to have children? Well, I would venture to say that most people don't know what the heck they are getting themselves into. That makes sense until you try and rationalize the decision that many people make to have ANOTHER child. Then one would have to think that most people are just plain crazy. Or delusional.

"Healthy relationships definitely make people happier. But children adversely affect relationships. As Thomas Bradbury, a father of two and professor of psychology at UCLA, likes to say: “Being in a good relationship is a risk factor for becoming a parent.”

So, you're telling me that parents are less happy than nonparents and kids negatively affect relationships. Fantastic.

"Most studies show that marriages improve once children enter latency, or the ages between 6 and 12, though they take another sharp dive during the war zone of adolescence."

Ahhh, so out of the first 18 years, we only get 6 good ones? That's a negative ROI folks.

The article takes a turn on page 5 and attempts to define "happiness." When happiness was defined as a matter of "mood" (feelings of stress, fatigue, worry, etc.) of course all parents seemed less happy. But when happiness was defined by feelings of "reward", the tides turned.

"Technically, if parenting makes you unhappy, you should feel better if you’re spared the task of doing it. But if happiness is measured by our own sense of agency and meaning, then noncustodial parents lose. They’re robbed of something that gives purpose and reward."

As I reflect on my own daily grind of the feeding, the wiping, the disciplining, the cleaning, the screaming, the calming, the dressing, the bathing, the night waking, the TEETHING (and the list goes on), I can only come to this conclusion: My happiness isn't defined by parenting. It is defined by being a parent.

"Loving one’s children and loving the act of parenting are not the same thing."

The fact that these 2 tiny people exist in this world because of the love that Mark and I share for them and for one another cannot be measured by the monotony of those daily tasks. It can only be measured by the way our hearts explode when Jacob says, unprompted, "Mommy/Daddy, I love you", or when Maddie squeals in laughter when you blow raspberries on her neck and reaches for you to hold her and comfort her when she bonks her head. You can quantify the dissatisfaction of changing a diaper. You can't quantify the feeling of purpose and reward of raising a strong, loving human being.

One of the reasons I enjoy writing this blog is to remind myself on a regular basis of why I'm here everyday, enduring this daily grind. It's a chance for me to reflect on events passed and, good or bad, jot them down as memories that I can cherish forever. And would I create cheesy, sentimental videos timed to corny, family songs if I weren't a happy parent?? I don't think so. I think instead, I'd be spending those hours catching up on bad TV and drinking alcohol. Oh wait, I still drink alcohol. But please don't judge. That's just a little extra incentive at the end of a long day of feeding, wiping, disciplining, cleaning, screaming, calming, dressing, bathing, night waking, and TEETHING.

And, as another reminder of why I'm even here blogging in the first place, I have neglected to post the pictures of my "mommy and me" session with my friend Kelly over at Inspired by You Photography. I can't think of a more timely moment to post them than now.

"My Family"

There are some days when I think I could be the corniest person on the planet. But if I'm surrounded by corny people who like my corny creations, then I guess I won't be ashamed of it.

Every time I hear this song played on Noggin, I have to jump up and dance. Jacob has to jump up and dance. Mark will even jump up and dance too. It's a great song. So, I thought, "how great would it be to put a slide show together to this song?"

Don't make fun. Just sit back and enjoy. :)

Another month = 9!

Maddie turned 9 months old yesterday. It was such a special occasion, she had to commemorate it with another first: Getting a stomach virus. This one's a doozy folks. Poop everywhere. All. The. Time. You know, it's bad enough to be an adult and get "the runs". Do you know what it's like for a baby? It's awful. Plain awful. For some reason, the stuff cannot be contained by a diaper. It goes up the back and through the sides and ends up in the hair, on the car seat, all over the stroller. Wherever we are, that place is covered in poop. I brought along a change of clothes while we were out this morning and literally, we weren't even out 10 minutes and she had her first blowout. Good thing mama was prepared! I cleaned her up at the Little Gym and not even an hour later, she had her next blowout at Panera Bread while we were having lunch. Mama was NOT prepared for TWO blowouts. I've washed the car seat and stroller covers, sheets, towels, blankets, clothing, etc. all covered in so much poop a million times already. On top of that, her little bottom is BEAT RED. And it won't get better because she keeps pooping. Enough already!

I went to the jewelry store today to get some watches repaired and when I walked in, a nice old gentleman that worked there said "oh honey, you look like you got your hands full. I don't know how you moms do it." I felt like saying "You don't know the half of it buddy. In the last 24 hours, I've done 10 loads of laundry, bathed my baby 5 times and cleaned poop around the clock. Do you smell that? Yep, that's poop. She did it again. Right there in that stroller. Even though she's crying right now, I'm not going to pick her up because then you will really see the poop. And that poop travels places. It is magic poop. If you don't watch out, it might become airborne and attach itself to your shirt, or you hair, or both. And I already used my back up outfit that I packed for her in the car because, you see, we did this very same thing an hour ago, but we were at The Little Gym. So, you're going to have to sit here and watch her cry while she sits in her poop. I suggest you change the battery in that watch mister, pronto."

But instead, I just smiled and told him that it was a big job, this motherhood thing. But I only have 2 kids -- imagine if I had 4 or 5! That is so unlike me, by the way. I was playing the "glass half full" game pretty well if I may say so myself.

Anyway, I digress. Maddie's appointment was relatively painless -- no shots this time! She had to have a quick prick in the finger to check for anemia but I'll take that any day over shots in the thighs. Her 9 month stats:

Height: 29.5" (97%!)
Weight: 21.1 lbs (86%)
Head: 17.5"

What she's up to these days other than pooping herself: She loves to clap her hands. If you happen to say "YAY!" about something, she'll automatically clap her hands together and smile. She really knows YAY = a round of applause. She is also getting more and more consistent with "SO BIG!" and waving. A couple of days ago, she started handing me things. We have this toy mailbox that you put mail in and she'll take the mail out, hand it to you so you can put it back in the slot. And every time she hands you the mail, she breaks out into this enormous grin. She and Jacob must have done this together 50 times. She's really starting to cruise. She only wants to be standing most of the time and if she's got something to hang on to, she's all good. She also just started going from her tummy to a sitting position. I walked into her room yesterday after her nap and found her sitting up in her crib! She loves that she can do this by the way. It makes her laugh every time. She's still eating solids 3 times a day and has between 4-5 bottles. She is not nearly interested in formula now that she's eating real food. I'm lucky if I can get 20 oz. in her in a day. Given her growth, there is no need to worry that she is getting enough though, that's for sure! She is still not a fan of the car. I would pay some serious money for someone to solve this mystery for me. It makes for extremely long car rides. When she's really tired and you're holding her, she'll lay her head right on your shoulder. This may be due to her recent illness, but I'm totally eating it up. I LOVE IT when she does that.

Miss Madeline, I really hope you start to feel better soon. I hate it when you are sick!

Her 9 month pictures: