People who say they sleep like a baby don't have one

Thursday night/Friday morning: Went to bed at midnight after trying to get Little Man's fever below 102. He crawled in bed with us at 4:30am. Bug woke up at 5:30 to eat. A queen size bed is not big enough for 4 people.

Friday night/Saturday morning: In bed at 10:30. Little Man's fever spiked again, but not as high. He gets in bed with us at 3:30am. Bug wakes up to eat at some point. Move from bed to couch around 5:30am because Little Man is showing NO signs of going back to sleep.

Saturday night/Sunday morning: Got home late from a FABULOUS girl's night out for my birthday and didn't get to bed until midnight again. Little Man's fever is gone! Hoping for sleep until 1:47am when my stomach stages a revolt. Up again at 4 something. Bug wants to eat at 5:30am. Little Man is up at 6:30am.

Last night/this morning: In bed at 11 completely exhausted. Little Man is standing next to my bed at 2:11am. Convince him to go back to his bed and Wil tucks him in. Bug wakes up at 3:30am. He won't latch on and eat, is fidgeting and hungry. Finally calms down an hour later when Wil has given him a blessing, baby tylenol and we've resorted to a bottle.

I'm so freaking tired. There's no patience left and I'm having a hard time completing sentences. Luckily there were good things going on during the day and breaks from the boys. I hope Bug isn't getting Little Man's virus. I don't know if I can handle 3 more days like this.

HAIR! - Updated

I'm shedding. The postpartum, big clumps of hair, shedding. I was expecting it, although it still freaks me out a little to see such huge amounts of hair in the shower. And even though I have a LOT of hair, I'm still afraid the shedding won't stop and I'll find bald spots on my head. But that's another post on irrational fears. This irrational fear belongs to my son. Little Man hates hair. It FREAKS. HIM. OUT. If he finds hair anywhere, he will stand pointing at it, yelling, "hair, mommy, hair. get it!" I've lost count of how many times this happens in a day, especially at bathtime. I have no idea what to do to stop it. Suggestions of how to either stop the shedding or the freaking out are more than welcome.

Not more than 10 minutes after writing this I was getting in the shower. Little Man has been sick and very clingy the last couple days, so it didn't surprise me when he wanted to get in the shower too. I don't know what I was thinking when I said yes, but in he climbed. About half way through the process, after I had washed my hair (dutifully checking the drain and removing hair before it became an issue), Little Man spied a hair ball. Holy cow. He FREAKED. He grabbed onto my leg, pointing to the hair, screaming and crying, "hair, hair, hair, MMMMOOOMMMMMMYYY, HHHHAAAIIIIIRRR!" Wil had to come and get him out of the shower to calm him down. We are definitely going to have to have a little chat about the hair and figure out a way to deal with it. I never thought hair could be so traumatizing.

Naptime Wars: When things get desperate

A couple times over the last few weeks Little Man has gotten so tired he's fallen asleep against his will. The first time, he fell asleep in the car and after I carried him upstairs he crashed on the couch.

The second time, he was sleeping in our bed and fell asleep trying to climb out.

Notice his "friends", Blankie, Bob-O (the little blanket) and pillow.

Before I forget to do this

1. Did you spend your childhood in one town or move around a lot? Where was it?
I moved more than my siblings did, but still only twice (maybe three times). Davidsonville, Severna Park, Huntingtown

2. Have you lived in the same house your entire life (ie: your parents have never moved)?
We've lived in the same place since I was five.

3. How attached are you to the place where you grew up?
Very attached. I'm still here.

4. Do you still talk to friends you made in Elementary School? Middle? High School?
Yep. Talked to my best friend yesterday and saw some friends from high school last Saturday.

5. Are you where you thought you would be 10 years ago? 5 years ago? 1 year ago?
I don't remember where I thought I would be. It's the lack of sleep. I swear.

6. Is there any place you feel you could NEVER live?
Someplace that's cold all year, or that gets a lot of snow but no snow days.

7. Do you find yourself more attached to the place you live now than the place you grew up?
I moved back to where I grew up. Definite attachment issues here.

8. Would you move to a place solely to remain close to your family? Yep.

9. Are you happy staying in one place for long periods of time?
This is hard. I HATE moving, but seem to do it a lot.

10. What is your favorite thing about the place you grew up? Where you live now?
I love that it is close to the city but still rural. It's the best of both worlds.

No matter where you go, there you are

As I type this my husband is watching Buckaroo Banzai. A couple years ago I saw this DVD on sale in one of those HUGE Stuff-Mart bins of movies and was thrilled to purchase it. Somewhere in the cobwebs of my memory this movie came creeping out. I have fond memories of watching it in the late 80's and loving it. That was 20 years ago. 20. I would like to think that my taste in movies has improved since then, because now I'm a little embarrassed. First of all because I own this movie. Second because we are watching a BAD 80's movie about "A top neurosurgeon, particle physicist, race car driver, rock star and comic book hero.... In the film, his latest experiments open the door to the 8th dimension and unwittingly start an interplanetary battle for the world"(from Wikipedia). Just to review, that's a rock star scientist fighting aliens. Yep. Aliens.

Got Milk?

With the recent changes to our job status, we qualify for WIC. I've been paying taxes for almost 20 years now and don't feel too bad about using programs that are set up for situations like ours. Our trip to get things set up today was interesting. Here are some pointers in case you are ever in need of WIC:

• Your appointment time means nothing. This is a government run program, after all. If a 17 year-old mother of two happens to be in line in front of you with no appointment, she will get called back first and you will have to wait 40 minutes in the lobby with your two kids. (This had the potential of being REALLY bad. But Little Man was good and there was a play area. Mostly I was just frustrated and feeling penalized for being responsible.)
  
• You will never go thirsty. Little Man and I qualify for 9 (NINE!) gallons of milk a month and 11 46oz. bottles of juice. And that was the option for the least amount of milk. I know milk is expensive and I'm SO SO SO grateful that we don't have to pay $4 a gallon right now. Thank goodness they give you LOTS of breakfast cereal to go with it, because what else do you do with 9 gallons of milk for a toddler and 2 adults. Not to mention that much juice. I think Little Man will drink a bottle that size over a 10 day period. There's no way we'll use 11 in a month.
  
• Dry beans. Lots of dry beans. We don't usually eat a lot of beans and I have no idea what to do with them. Ideas and recipes are welcome. (Please!?!?!)
• Trying to build healthy meals around WIC food is interesting. What would you do with milk, cheese, beans, tuna and carrots, while trying to keep the rest of your food budget as low as possible? I'm drawing a blank right now... grilled cheese and quesadillas are high on the list, but that's not really a colorful plate - definitely not Weight Watchers approved.

Gggggrrrrrr!

If you are patient, you just might hear the growl.

We teach our kids the classics

When Bug gets an upset tummy, we often "bicycle" his legs to help work out the gas. When I do, we sing the bicycle song. Here's an example:

A couple days ago Little Man wanted to hold J-Bug and this is what happened (Be forewarned. Bug tries to propel himself off of the couch, but do not fear, I caught him.):

Becker Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

Becker Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Dynasty - Family histories

I wanna do it!

This morning I started pancakes and Little Man wanted to help. I took these before I had to remove him from the counter because he was not listening.

The pancakes turned out pretty good. I wonder if Little Man will love cooking like most of Mimi & Papa's kids.

He really likes to help out when it comes to cooking, so when I can I try to give him something to do.

w.

Father's Day

Our Father's Day this year was a little hectic. On Thursday, we met Wil for lunch and picked up his presents. Little Man picked out some new fish for our tank and we continued our tradition of matching (or as close as possible) Father's Day ties for the boys.

For your viewing pleasure:

Little Man and Wil - Father's Day 2006
Little Man and Wil 2008
J-Bug and Wil 2008

Stressed=Desserts

The quest for the skinny pants has come to a screaching halt. My bestest husband lost his job today and I made the oreos disappear. I think it's going to be a rocky summer.

You Are Mulan!

Strong and spirited. You're no one's girly girl; actually you are very determined person with a strong sense of self. Never let go of that! The only thing that equals your sense of self is your family, but the traditions of society can always be bent to protect something or someone you love.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

I'm not so sure about this..."no one's girly girl"?

Did you know...

that when your 2 year old plays with the minivan remote from inside the house it will still open all of the doors?

It started out so good...

J-Bug slept until 6:30am! It was a miracle. 7 hours of sleep was amazing. Now I'm starting to wonder if he knew that I would need it. He knew what the day would be like and was hoping to give me a little bit of an edge. It didn't work.

Herbie vs. Kitty

Last week Kitty Corolla decided that she couldn't handle the heat and the A/C died. Unfortunately, Wil and I haven't been able to agree on how to handle this predicament, which has resulted in Wil driving Kitty to work in what is quickly becoming NASTY heat. This is tomorrow's forcast (pay special attention to the "feels like"):

6am 74°F Feels Like 74°F

9am 82°F Feels Like 86°F

12pm 90°F Feels Like 96°F

3pm 93°F Feels Like 99°F

6pm 90°F Feels Like 95°F

9pm 82°F Feels Like 86°F

I have taken pity on him and he's driving Herbie to work. As much as I want him to agree with me, those kind of tactics would be downright mean.

Copycat (updated)

**I was so tired yesterday that when I copied this and updated the answers it never occurred to me that Zi and I don't have the same number of siblings anymore. At least not once I consider Wil's side of the family. It's the last one and now it's fixed.

Do you like blue cheese?
love it.

Do you own a gun?
nope.

What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic?
I rarely get soda, but when I do it's usually cherry (limeade or pepsi).

Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?
Only when I know something is wrong.

What do you think of hot dogs?
I like them, but not the cheap kind.

Favorite Christmas movie?
Muppet Christmas Carol

What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
Water.

Can you do push ups?
Not well or many.

What’s your favorite piece of jewelry?
my wedding band and amethyst ring

Favorite hobby?
It depends on the day. Reading. Scrapbooking. Crafty stuff. But right now I don't really have the time.

Do you have A.D.D.?
Nope.

What’s one trait you hate about yourself?
Procrastination. (See, I'm doing it right now. I'm blogging instead of getting anything on my list accomplished.)

Middle name? Lynn. Don't know where it came from.

Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment:
I want to sleep.
Please let Little Man take a nap.
What HAS to get done before I can take a nap?

Name 3 things you bought yesterday?
Strawberries, blueberries, ice cream

Name 3 drinks you regularly drink?
Water. Once in a while I'll have Raspberry Crystal Light, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper or Birch Beer.

Current worry?
Grandmother, the car.

Current hate right now?
stinky diapers, waking up at 6am

Favorite place to be?
In my bed.

How did you bring in the New Year?
I don't remember. I think it involved going to bed early.

Where would you like to go?
Germany, Texas, Litchfield Beach, SC

Do you own slippers?
Yep, black ones.

What song makes you happy?
Anything Little Man is singing.

What year would you go back in time to?
No idea.

Can you whistle?
Not really.

Favorite color?
Purple, any shade.

Would you be a pirate?
Nope.

What songs do you sing in the shower?
I don't sing in the shower.

Favorite girl’s name.
Moira Leigh and Lena Katherine.

Favorite boy’s name?
Adam

What's in your pocket right now?
No pockets on my lounge pants, I still haven't had a chance to get dressed.

Last thing that made you laugh?
I don't remember.

Last thing that made you cry?
I know it was sometime yesterday or this morning, but I couldn't tell you what exactly it was.

Worst injury you’ve ever had?
I've never had a bad injury.

Do you love where you live?
I love having my own space.

How many TVs do you have in your house?
one

How many dogs do you have?
None.

What is your favorite book(s)?
I don't know that I have a favorite. Right now I'm on a Shannon Hale kick.

What is your favorite candy?
At the moment it's mint crisp m&m's

Favorite Sports Team(s)?
I don't watch sports. But I do claim to be a Redskins fan out of loyalty to my Grandad and brothers.

Your favorite meal?
Drunken Ribeye, redskin mashed potatoes, aussie rolls and salad at Sweetwater

What were you doing 12 AM last night?
sleeping

What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?
Why is Little Man awake and in my bed? Don't you dare wake up the baby. It's too early!

Do you have any odd habits?
Many.

How much time do you have?
Not enough.

**How many siblings do you have? 1 sister, 2 brothers, 3 brothers-in-law, and 5 sisters-in-law.

Birthday Wishes

My birthday is coming up next month. I'm not so excited about this one, so I thought I would put together a list of birthday wishes... things that would help me look forward to my birthday. Any hints that Wil or the fam want to take from this would be fine too.

1. Dinner with Wil (maybe Maggiano's, Philip's or Sweetwater) and a full night of sleep in my own bed - no kids.
2. Shopping with Zi and Mom - no kids.
3. Dinner out with the girls - no kids. (Are you noticing a theme here?)
4. A giftcard to use while shopping with Zi and Mom to pick out something fun. I like these:

5.
6. The 1 inch curling iron. 7. A cute pair of pants or skirt for church.
8. New swimmy suit
9. A Land's End tote
10. Anything at the spa or from my Amazon wish list

Yummy, without the guilt!

I had this salad when I went out to Panera Bread for lunch with my mom last week. So yummy! I highly recommend it.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The good...

J-Bug is getting too big too fast. Yesterday was the 3 month mark and he's weighing in at 13 lbs. His rolls are starting to get rolls. This weekend he learned to hold onto one of his rings, ROLLED OVER and has started teething (that part could technically fall under the bad category).


We spent the day with Grandmother yesterday. Little Man was so precious with her. She's not doing well and he was very careful and aware of her all day. He climbed up on her big chair and cuddled with her. Later she showed him how the buttons moved her chair up and down. He spent a half an hour "riding" the chair with her.

The bad...

• Kitty Corolla is asserting her independence and has decided that she has had enough. The prospect of TWO car payments: Very. Bad.
• Grandmother is having surgery on Thursday. I think I'm more worried than I have been willing to admit.
• TEETHING at 3 months

The Ugly...

I came across this picture from a year ago. I knew I didn't like how these pictures turned out, but I didn't realize how bad they really were. Especially compared to the more recent pics. So I'll post one more good thing: