{Do you see what I see?}
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
Vacation is for Losers
At least the mid-winter, get-away kind. I'm not quite sure what we were thinking. It was probably a sign yesterday when we were trying to pack and our children were melting down. Hannah wouldn't stop crying for reasons unknown and Jack was not exactly helping us get packed up and out the door. In fact, in talking to my mom about when we'd be dropping the puppies off for their visit to Grammy's, the words, "I need a mother's helper to just take my children into another room so that I can pack for thirty-five minutes," may or may not have escaped my lips. We should have stopped while we were ahead.
Turns out that everyone else also took Great Wolf Lodge up on its offer for fabulous savings on not-so-popular days. We arrived yesterday around four and knew we were in for a different experience when we walked into the lobby and found the line for check-in snaking around the entire room. Our room was wonderful; we were upgraded into a room with a loft. Jack was thrilled that he could jump from bed to bed, and that he had his own space upstairs. Truth be told, the loft was actually an acoustic torture chamber as our beautiful children took turns screaming and whining each and every time we stepped foot into our room.
The water at the water park was much colder than it was in October. Much. And not only was the water colder, but because it was so crowded, you also had to wait in line to go down the slides. I do have to admit, watching Hannah, in her adorable swimsuit "swim" in the wave pool was pretty cute. She was so happy and just grinned from ear to ear. That girl is a magnet for "oohs" and "ahhs" from strangers, I tell you. When we finally got out of the wave pool though, we realized how very cold we actually were.
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that Brad lost his wedding ring at the water park as well. And so far? It hasn't shown up. Our best guess is that due to the chilly temps, water, and babies, it fell off somewhere in the park. Lovely.
Before we left the water park, Jack wanted to go down one of the slides again. He and Daddy had said that they'd gone down two different slides at the same time, and Jack wanted to do that with me. Sure, why not? We go into this section that is impossible to navigate without getting soaked. Jack, being the smart boy that he is, wanted to be held so that the cold water wouldn't land directly on him. When we finally got to the top, Jack explained again that he was going to go down the green slide and that I should go down the yellow slide. I explained that there was a long line for the yellow slide and that I could just slide down after him, but he kept telling me that wasn't what he and Daddy did. I was not understanding how the whole thing had worked, and I was freezing to death, so in a moment of poor judgement, Jack got in his line, and I stood watching him from mine. He went down before me, and I just assumed that when he went with Daddy, he just waited for Daddy at the bottom of the other slide. Not so. After waiting in line for a few minutes, and peering over the edge to see Jack, I found him standing next to Daddy and Hannah. Apparently, he'd had the good sense to go find Daddy and wait with him. When I finally came down the slide, Brad was not happy. His concern, which was a valid one, was that Jack had been left unattended. When I asked him how they had done it previously, he said that either he or Jack had let people in front of them so that they could go down at the same time, and then Brad catapulted himself down the slide to arrive at the bottom before Jack. Probably would have been a smart decision, but it just hadn't occurred to me. I have no idea why. Mother-of-the-Year Award? FAIL.
The good news is that Jack had fun on the slides. We came back to the room, got changed, and then went to dinner, but it was late, and both of our little lovelies fell asleep during the meal. Hannah in her Baby Bjorn, and Jack across the bench we were sharing. Luckily, we all slept well last night.
After a rough morning and another brief stint at the water park (well, at least for Jack and Daddy - Hannah and I were in the hotel room so that she could catch up on a proper nap after screaming during my entire shower), we visited the arcade, had lunch in the room, and then prepared the babies for nap time. It was then we realized that Jack had the sniffles. The approximately every-42-seconds sniffles (probably from that ice water we exposed him to at the park. Again, Mother-of-the-Year Award? FAIL.). Makes it kinda tricky for everyone to nap, wouldn't you think? I gave him some medicine, and he did finally fall asleep for about half an hour.
It was during that time that Brad and I decided that nobody was really having any fun, and that we should really just pack up and go home. Why should we stay there and spend more money for all of us to be miserable? It just didn't make any sense. I started to pack us up. We loaded all of our belongings back onto the cart - which was pretty funny in itself due to the amount of things we brought for what was now an overnight trip. I tried to take a picture of our things as we waited for the elevator, but just as the camera went off, a staff member walked into the shot. I didn't have the heart to try again - it had just been one of those days.
On the way home, Jack got progressively worse, he didn't even want to get out of the car to eat, so I actually ended up feeding Hannah her baby food while in her car seat. I sang songs the last 45 minutes of our trip to keep the babies from crying. Poor Jack can barely breathe through his nose, and he's saying his throat hurts and that juice tastes funny. We have a date with the doctor tomorrow morning at 7:30 am. Should be fun... I hope that he'll be able to sleep well tonight - I hate when my little lovelies don't feel good.
So, all in all...
I'm not sure how people with small children travel. Or at least make traveling look easy. I just don't get it. Taking diapers, and baby food, and bottles alone is exhausting. Not to mention bedtime stories and toys. And strollers (which in another moment of poor judgement, I decided to bring the single stroller as opposed to the double stroller). And the Bumbo seat, since poor Hannah isn't sitting up on her own. I just don't understand. And clearly we were not ready. It was too soon. We are not the kind of people who can just go with the flow and it'll all be okay. It seems like when it gets bad, it just always ends up snowballing into worse.
I'm thinking that we're putting vacations on hold for a long time. Maybe even until Miss Hannah is out of diapers. By my calculations, that puts us at about the time that Jack is getting ready to go into kindergarten. Which seems so very far away, but I know that it's really not. I just want them to get to do fun things and for us to build memories as a family of four. I'd love to have fun, yearly vacations. Maybe we just have to wait a few years to start?! I don't know. All I do know, is that this is the last time for a long time.
In talking about the past 36 hours as I typed this post, Brad and I discovered the silver lining of our trip: there was no traffic to or fro.
Yeah, that's it. I've got nothing else.
Turns out that everyone else also took Great Wolf Lodge up on its offer for fabulous savings on not-so-popular days. We arrived yesterday around four and knew we were in for a different experience when we walked into the lobby and found the line for check-in snaking around the entire room. Our room was wonderful; we were upgraded into a room with a loft. Jack was thrilled that he could jump from bed to bed, and that he had his own space upstairs. Truth be told, the loft was actually an acoustic torture chamber as our beautiful children took turns screaming and whining each and every time we stepped foot into our room.
The water at the water park was much colder than it was in October. Much. And not only was the water colder, but because it was so crowded, you also had to wait in line to go down the slides. I do have to admit, watching Hannah, in her adorable swimsuit "swim" in the wave pool was pretty cute. She was so happy and just grinned from ear to ear. That girl is a magnet for "oohs" and "ahhs" from strangers, I tell you. When we finally got out of the wave pool though, we realized how very cold we actually were.
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that Brad lost his wedding ring at the water park as well. And so far? It hasn't shown up. Our best guess is that due to the chilly temps, water, and babies, it fell off somewhere in the park. Lovely.
Before we left the water park, Jack wanted to go down one of the slides again. He and Daddy had said that they'd gone down two different slides at the same time, and Jack wanted to do that with me. Sure, why not? We go into this section that is impossible to navigate without getting soaked. Jack, being the smart boy that he is, wanted to be held so that the cold water wouldn't land directly on him. When we finally got to the top, Jack explained again that he was going to go down the green slide and that I should go down the yellow slide. I explained that there was a long line for the yellow slide and that I could just slide down after him, but he kept telling me that wasn't what he and Daddy did. I was not understanding how the whole thing had worked, and I was freezing to death, so in a moment of poor judgement, Jack got in his line, and I stood watching him from mine. He went down before me, and I just assumed that when he went with Daddy, he just waited for Daddy at the bottom of the other slide. Not so. After waiting in line for a few minutes, and peering over the edge to see Jack, I found him standing next to Daddy and Hannah. Apparently, he'd had the good sense to go find Daddy and wait with him. When I finally came down the slide, Brad was not happy. His concern, which was a valid one, was that Jack had been left unattended. When I asked him how they had done it previously, he said that either he or Jack had let people in front of them so that they could go down at the same time, and then Brad catapulted himself down the slide to arrive at the bottom before Jack. Probably would have been a smart decision, but it just hadn't occurred to me. I have no idea why. Mother-of-the-Year Award? FAIL.
The good news is that Jack had fun on the slides. We came back to the room, got changed, and then went to dinner, but it was late, and both of our little lovelies fell asleep during the meal. Hannah in her Baby Bjorn, and Jack across the bench we were sharing. Luckily, we all slept well last night.
After a rough morning and another brief stint at the water park (well, at least for Jack and Daddy - Hannah and I were in the hotel room so that she could catch up on a proper nap after screaming during my entire shower), we visited the arcade, had lunch in the room, and then prepared the babies for nap time. It was then we realized that Jack had the sniffles. The approximately every-42-seconds sniffles (probably from that ice water we exposed him to at the park. Again, Mother-of-the-Year Award? FAIL.). Makes it kinda tricky for everyone to nap, wouldn't you think? I gave him some medicine, and he did finally fall asleep for about half an hour.
It was during that time that Brad and I decided that nobody was really having any fun, and that we should really just pack up and go home. Why should we stay there and spend more money for all of us to be miserable? It just didn't make any sense. I started to pack us up. We loaded all of our belongings back onto the cart - which was pretty funny in itself due to the amount of things we brought for what was now an overnight trip. I tried to take a picture of our things as we waited for the elevator, but just as the camera went off, a staff member walked into the shot. I didn't have the heart to try again - it had just been one of those days.
On the way home, Jack got progressively worse, he didn't even want to get out of the car to eat, so I actually ended up feeding Hannah her baby food while in her car seat. I sang songs the last 45 minutes of our trip to keep the babies from crying. Poor Jack can barely breathe through his nose, and he's saying his throat hurts and that juice tastes funny. We have a date with the doctor tomorrow morning at 7:30 am. Should be fun... I hope that he'll be able to sleep well tonight - I hate when my little lovelies don't feel good.
So, all in all...
I'm not sure how people with small children travel. Or at least make traveling look easy. I just don't get it. Taking diapers, and baby food, and bottles alone is exhausting. Not to mention bedtime stories and toys. And strollers (which in another moment of poor judgement, I decided to bring the single stroller as opposed to the double stroller). And the Bumbo seat, since poor Hannah isn't sitting up on her own. I just don't understand. And clearly we were not ready. It was too soon. We are not the kind of people who can just go with the flow and it'll all be okay. It seems like when it gets bad, it just always ends up snowballing into worse.
I'm thinking that we're putting vacations on hold for a long time. Maybe even until Miss Hannah is out of diapers. By my calculations, that puts us at about the time that Jack is getting ready to go into kindergarten. Which seems so very far away, but I know that it's really not. I just want them to get to do fun things and for us to build memories as a family of four. I'd love to have fun, yearly vacations. Maybe we just have to wait a few years to start?! I don't know. All I do know, is that this is the last time for a long time.
In talking about the past 36 hours as I typed this post, Brad and I discovered the silver lining of our trip: there was no traffic to or fro.
Yeah, that's it. I've got nothing else.
Friday, February 24, 2012
A Sweet Surprise
***I know I've been missing. I'm sorry. I promise to go back and fill you in, but in the meantime...***
About a month ago, Brad and I decided to take the kids back to Great Wolf Lodge. We went for the first time on our way home from my sister's wedding, and just absolutely fell in love. I joined the email club and get discount opportunities, and we decided to take one of those opportunities and run with it...only we didn't tell Jack right away.
I actually told him tonight that we have a surprise for him. He was dying to know and immediately guessed it was a Spider-man toy. The boy knows what he likes:) After several guesses, and me telling him that the surprise was better than all the things he mentioned, I told him to ask his daddy.
Daddy told him it was a really great surprise, but that he had to wait a little bit longer. He promised we'd tell Jack tomorrow night at bedtime.
Jack seemed to settle down to get ready to go to sleep. But after two minutes of snuggles and silence, our adorable, little man says, "You gotta tell me!"
We laughed so hard, smiled over our little boy's head, and then Daddy told him about our surprise. He is so excited - he talked about the slides and the fountains and the arcade...so cute!
I hope he has as much fun as he's anticipating:) I can't wait to ride the water slides with my little man. And seeing our precious, baby girl (who, by the way, is seven months old as of today!!!) wear a swimsuit for the first time? Yeah, I'm looking forward to that, too. Don't you worry - I'll take pictures:)
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Sunday Morning Sweetness
Jack: Gives Hannah his toy lion to play with while he plays with his superhero city from Aunt Jess.
Hannah: Continues to roll towards the superhero city, leaving said lion behind.
Jack: "Mommy, she keeps touching my toy even though I gave her my lion."
Mommy: "Jack, do you know why Hannah does that? She loves to play with what you're playing with because she loves you. You're her big brother, and she thinks you're awesome."
Jack: (with a serious, and endearing smile, makes eye contact with his wiggly, baby sister) "Hannah, when you're a little bigger and you can talk, I'll teach you how to jump, okay? Deal?"
Mommy: (heart melts all over the family room floor - this is what it's all about)
Hannah: Continues to roll towards the superhero city, leaving said lion behind.
Jack: "Mommy, she keeps touching my toy even though I gave her my lion."
Mommy: "Jack, do you know why Hannah does that? She loves to play with what you're playing with because she loves you. You're her big brother, and she thinks you're awesome."
Jack: (with a serious, and endearing smile, makes eye contact with his wiggly, baby sister) "Hannah, when you're a little bigger and you can talk, I'll teach you how to jump, okay? Deal?"
Mommy: (heart melts all over the family room floor - this is what it's all about)
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
My Little Valentines
Happy Valentine's Day...
...from our little valentines to yours!
May you all have someone to love on this Valentine's Day!
{and a very special thank you to my hubby, who surprised me by having roses delivered to my office}
Monday, February 13, 2012
Happy Baptism, Baby Girl!
Yesterday was a special day for our baby bear. Hannah was baptized during our 9 o'clock church service in front of our family and friends.
Both little ones did very well. Hannah was as wiggly as ever, and Jack never stopped moving either, but all in all, they did wonderfully. Right before the baptism, as we were standing next to the fountain of water, it was clear to me that Hannah thought she was about to get a bath because her little arms and legs were flying and she was super-excited. During the actual baptism, she looked a little confused because it wasn't quite what she'd been expecting - but no tears! What a joyful morning:)
She looked so pretty in her ruffly, white and pink layered dress, headband, and shoes (her first shoes!), but none of the pictures showed off her outfit enough, so I've decided when I go to get her professional six month pictures taken, I'm going to take the outfit to have her photographed in it. Too beautiful to pass up...
Her "Uncle" Drew, Brad's best friend from college (also, the best man at our wedding), drove up to participate in his role as Hannah's godfather. My sister is Hannah's godmother, but unfortunately she wasn't able to attend the baptism because she suffered some kind of nasty bite and was admitted into the hospital on Friday night. We missed her like crazy:(
Us and Uncle Drew
Daddy, Hannah, and Drew
Happy Girl
With Aunt Jess - poor kiddos were ready to leave at this point. Can you tell?
After the baptism, we came back to our house for a celebratory brunch. I was so excited because I found an inspirational photo on Pinterest, and then my sister and I drafted a plan replacing their menu with my own. I stayed up late Saturday night preparing the table as much as I could, and I was very pleased with how it turned out. It makes me excited for kiddie birthdays that are getting nearer and nearer to being right around the corner:) Do I have pin boards for those events? I do.
Hannah's roses are blossoming today
The brunch table - note the symmetry
Cookies I purchased from Etsy
Details
A donut hole tree - made especially for us by my mom and Aunt Jojo
My love affair with mason jars has begun
So very pretty
Individual servings of southern style banana cream pudding - note the use of glassware only
It was such a special morning, and I just want to say thank you to all of our friends and family that helped to make Hannah's baptism so memorable.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
My Little Man
In the past few days, Jack's just been overflowing with cuteness...here's just a little taste of what he's been up to.
*****
When we went out with my mom this weekend to run some errands, I told Jack that we were going to go to two stores and then maybe we would go to lunch. After we picked Grammy up, he was running through the plan with her, but when he got to the lunch part, it went a little bit like this:
"Grammy, we're going to go to two stores, and then...do you want to go to a building with a cooker?"
You know? What the rest of us refer to as a restaurant?
*****
The other night Jack got to go to the airport with Daddy to drop something off at FedEx, but before they left, I gave Jack a bath and got him completely ready for bed so that when they got back, we could read stories and snuggle. I guess on the way home Daddy and Jack were talking about what they were going to do when they got home, and Daddy must've said they were going to brush their teeth. Jack tried to tell Daddy that he'd already brushed his teeth, but Brad wasn't quite sure that was true. Jack could sense Daddy's disbelief, and so he said, "When we get home I'm going to tell Erika that I did brush my teeth."
As soon as they got home, Brad relayed this story to me - we thought it was hilarious that Jack called me Erika when talking to him because that's what Brad calls me:)
*****
Our dinner conversation the other night:
Jack: When someone at school hits someone else, they have to hold Ms. Sheila's pocket.
Me: Have you ever had to hold Ms. Sheila's pocket?
Jack: No...
Me: (deep sigh of relief)
Jack: ....just Ms. Cici's.
Clearly, I breathed too soon. At least he's honest!
*****
Tonight before Jack's bedtime, we played Candyland. I happened to reach Candy Castle first this time, and as soon as I announced myself the winner, Jack started rifling through the stack of unused cards, pulled out what seemed to be specifically what he was looking for, and then announced, "I'm looking for a green so that I can meet you at Candy Castle!"
We're working on being a good sport:)
*****
When we went out with my mom this weekend to run some errands, I told Jack that we were going to go to two stores and then maybe we would go to lunch. After we picked Grammy up, he was running through the plan with her, but when he got to the lunch part, it went a little bit like this:
"Grammy, we're going to go to two stores, and then...do you want to go to a building with a cooker?"
You know? What the rest of us refer to as a restaurant?
*****
The other night Jack got to go to the airport with Daddy to drop something off at FedEx, but before they left, I gave Jack a bath and got him completely ready for bed so that when they got back, we could read stories and snuggle. I guess on the way home Daddy and Jack were talking about what they were going to do when they got home, and Daddy must've said they were going to brush their teeth. Jack tried to tell Daddy that he'd already brushed his teeth, but Brad wasn't quite sure that was true. Jack could sense Daddy's disbelief, and so he said, "When we get home I'm going to tell Erika that I did brush my teeth."
As soon as they got home, Brad relayed this story to me - we thought it was hilarious that Jack called me Erika when talking to him because that's what Brad calls me:)
*****
Our dinner conversation the other night:
Jack: When someone at school hits someone else, they have to hold Ms. Sheila's pocket.
Me: Have you ever had to hold Ms. Sheila's pocket?
Jack: No...
Me: (deep sigh of relief)
Jack: ....just Ms. Cici's.
Clearly, I breathed too soon. At least he's honest!
*****
Tonight before Jack's bedtime, we played Candyland. I happened to reach Candy Castle first this time, and as soon as I announced myself the winner, Jack started rifling through the stack of unused cards, pulled out what seemed to be specifically what he was looking for, and then announced, "I'm looking for a green so that I can meet you at Candy Castle!"
We're working on being a good sport:)
Friday, February 3, 2012
Six Months
Pretty Girl,
On January 24th, you turned six months old! I can't believe that in a mere six months, you'll already be a year old. Time is flying, and first birthday preparations are already in the back of my mind. What a fun, girly day that will be, my love.
I'm not sure how much you weigh, but if I had to guess I'd have to say about 16 or 17 pounds - we'll find out on Tuesday at your next doctor's visit. You're still wearing six month clothing, but you're wearing nine month sleepers because otherwise your little tootsies are smooshed. You are still wearing a size three diaper.
You are reaching for everything - toys, people, and your feet! You finally figured out that you could get your toes in your mouth:) Every time I change your diaper, you try to chew on your toes. You also try to put anything and everything into your mouth as soon as you can get whatever it is into your little hand...especially Jack's superhero toys. You've already seemed to figure out that whatever he is playing with is better than your baby toys. What's that about, Baby Girl?
You are no longer nursing, as of New Year's Eve, in fact. I think I had a much harder time adjusting than you did. You still tried to nuzzle me a few times in the weeks after that, but you don't do it anymore. I miss it, but I'm so happy you were able to nurse for as long as you did.
You drink three bottles a day, and you're also eating solids like a champ. You haven't refused a single fruit or vegetable that we've tried to give you - you're an avid eater. You love eating from a spoon, and you're trying to figure out how to drink from a sippy cup.
You're rolling like crazy - and not just one way. If I set you down on the ground, you don't stay put. You roll around until you get where you want to go:) Such a strong, little girl! You never stop moving...you do not really like to snuggle unless you're sleepy, and then it's the cutest thing ever because you turn your head into my chest and press your little forehead against me. You're still practicing your sitting up skills. Sometimes you seem to have it if we put you in a sitting position, but other times you just fall right over - which, by the way, you don't seem to mind one bit.
You still love bath time. You love to splash around and don't mind water on your face at all. When we watch Jack at swimming, you act like you just want to jump right in.
You are interacting so much more than before. You're saying mama, especially when you are sad or when you need something. You light up when you find Daddy's face or hear his voice. You get all smiley and bashful - it's adorable. You also love to be around Jack, and the feeling is mutual. He always moves to be near you, and he does such a good job of sharing his toys with you. Just the other day, I got you interacting with the puppy dogs on video - so adorable.
While I can't wait for you to have adorable, girly pigtails, I'm absolutely in love with the downy swirl that is your hair right now. Even that tiny, little bald spot. I'm head-over-heels in love with it.
Mama loves you, Hannah Bear. So very much. These past six months have been a dream come true...to have a daughter, to watch her grow, to see my little boy love on his little sister, to watch your Daddy melt every time you smile...what an amazing gift you have given me.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
We Needed This
Yesterday was January 31st. I think it was 65 degrees outside - beautiful and sunny.
We had scheduled a play date at the park after work - we found out on the way there that our friend had already fallen into a mud puddle and was headed home, but we seized the opportunity anyway. I'd already stopped by the house to get warm weather jackets, snacks and drinks, and my camera.
And did I mention it was beautiful outside?
We needed this. After a miserable Monday, and, dare I say it, an even more miserable morning, my little lovelies and I needed an afternoon at the park. To be outside, to be watching my little man run around and make new friends while my baby girl snuggled down on my chest, to be relaxed and present and in the moment....we needed it.
God is good.
***********
A big thank you to my cousin Kathleen - your comments on my last post helped me feel better. While I don't want others to feel overwhelmed, it's nice to know that I'm not alone...that the feeling is normal, and that even those people that seem like everything runs like a well-oiled machine (you - and with four children!) get overwhelmed. I will try my best to embrace your new words for me: nurture and simplify (although, I have to be honest, and say that I did truly believe that a menu board would help to simplify my dinner decisions - I see now that there is probably a simpler way). So thank you for sharing...us kindred spirits - perfectionists - have to help each other out every now and then.
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