Promises, promises

Today is a snow day.  Bode's school is closed. So Bode got to do what Bode loves most:  hang out in his Lightening McQueen pajamas all morning doing whatever strikes his fancy (cars, cars, and more cars).

I actually took charge of the morning and suggested a few activities. The first thing we did (by unanimous agreement) was to bake banana bread. We found a great new recipe last week, and I've been dreaming about it ever since. Today was the perfect day to whip up a loaf. After Bode, Gianna and I had mixed up the ingredients and put the loaf in the oven, it was only 9:39 AM.  "Oh, boy," I thought. "What now?"

We have used up all of our plain art paper. But I had set aside some packing material used in one of our recent shipments.  So I pulled it out, taped it to the floor, and then pulled out some of our art supplies.  The children had a blast painting and coloring for over an hour. By then, our banana bread was ready to be eaten.  We enjoyed a small snack of banana bread and milk. The banana bread was delicious.  We toasted our success.  Bode suggested that we shout "Teamwork!" together. So we did that a few times. 

Then we read a few books. After that, I put both Nico and Gianna down for a nap.  Bode is currently coloring in the playroom.  I love listening to his little narrative while he plays. He has dialogue between cars, dialogue between himself and his little body, or he will just sing a happy little tune.

After naps, we are making chocolate chip cookies.  I promised. Hopefully that will eat up most of the afternoon.  I have a goal not to turn on the television today. Lately, I have overheard Bode saying "PBS dot ORG" just like on TV. Ooops. How embarrassing. It would feel nice to not resort to a cartoon educational program to entertain the children. But I am making no promises!

Don't forget to leave a comment here for the giveaway! There's some fun little stuff in the mix to brighten your day, I promise!

Happy Wednesday.

xo

Sunshine

Today the sun came out and it was a balmy 36 degrees.  I had to take advantage of this great weather.  We played outside after school, instead of eating lunch and naps.  Bode and Gianna rode bikes while I pushed Nico in the stroller. I haven't been outside all winter (well, it seems like I haven't been out all winter). I really miss being outside with my children!  

Gianna got her very own Skuut for her 2nd birthday.  After RWF built the bike for her, she could barely reach the ground on tip-toes.  She felt wobbly and insecure on the bike. It wasn't any fun for her. Today, she hopped on it and took off without so much as a second glance. I could tell today that she loved 'hanging' with Bode, both of them on bikes. Where did my little girl go? 

Nico is not so impressed with the stroller. I think he's a little small for it right now. This will be his "ride" for a long time, as soon as the weather improves. I can't wait!

Bode has gotten too big for his little red car. My mother got him this for his 1st birthday. At the time, I don't think his feet even hit the ground unless he was on the very edge of the seat.  Today, he looks like he's wearing the car.  I giggled while I watched him today, his long arms wrapped around the frame of the car, with his big feet poking out of the car as he made his way along the driveway.

Happy Tuesday to thee.

xo

Siblings without rivalry...for now

I am so happy when I see my children playing together. I imagine this is how most parents feel. What's not to love about your very own children playing together happily in the cocoon of your home? Bode and Gianna have always been a pair.  The fact that they were born close together helps. But things are changing, little by little. Bode will just grab things out of Gianna's hands. As a consequence, Gianna is a little more whiney than she used to be when they played.  Their play is sometimes punctuated with a shrill scream by Gianna or a growly command by Bode, followed by drumming footsteps as they hurry to me for mediation. I try to stay out of it and let them figure it out for themselves. But right now, I need to be the one to point out some ground rules to them. Ground rules like, "no hitting." Gianna tends to smack Bode when she doesn't like what he does or says.  I think this is a product of being 2 and not having the command of language that will help her later.

And then there is Bode and Nico.  Bode talks and entertains Nico.  He loves doing something to get a reaction from Nico.  I think this is a product of being 4.  Nico adores Bode, and watches his every move. I think this is a product of being a baby who can't move by himself.  (Gianna really has no interest in Nico right now.  I'm sure it's a bit of jealousy, and probably because she might find Nico "boring" because he doesn't do anything but eat and lie around!)

When I think about the future, I like to imagine Bode always being a loving big brother to Nico and Gianna, full of fun and advice...someone trusted to talk to who isn't a parent. He just seems to have this loving, happy personality that will be a huge perk to his other sibs. But really, I hope that they all are this to each other. 

When Gianna was born, I feared that I'd be witnessing constant power struggles between Bode and Gianna. RWF and I would talk strategies, books we'd heard about, what to do, etc. But that wasn't the case. They always seem to get along well.  So I stopped worrying about power struggles, hair pulling and broken toys. But I can see glimpses of things changing as they grow. Hopefully RWF and I are doing a good job as parents, laying the groundwork for these three to have wonderful relationships that will last a lifetime.

Happy Tuesday.

xo

Matching PJs

One fun perk to having two of something is matching.  Of course I am talking about having two boys!  I've been meaning to post pics of my boys in their matching Valentine PJs.

Nico looks thrilled, doesn't he?  Don't worry, little Nico! Your mother is not crazy enough to match you guys all the time.  I promise to reserve the matching outfits to bedtime only!

Hope you got some good sleep last night. Or did you stay up late watching the Oscars like me? I thought the Academy Awards were a snooze this year.  I didn't watch the whole thing.  But staying up past 9 PM is considered "late" for me. It is not even 10 AM and I am zonked.

I always thought that after I left the working world that Mondays would cease to bother me.   I was so wrong!  I still don't like Mondays!

Happy Monday.

xo

It's Friday, I'm in love

It has been a crazy week (again).  Bode was on Winter Break from school.  It is called a "Winter Break," but it is not a break from the winter weather. We had planned to visit Nana this week. But the weather prevented us from hitting the road.  Hopefully we will be able to visit soon.

This week, we were very low key.  

We made banana bread. We are enjoying it.  But more than that, I love baking with my babies.  The babies got pizza from Mama Mia's twice this week.  We ate cookies in bed while reading stories. It was definitely a week where I relaxed food rules, and it was fun. I loved not stressing about what to make for dinner, or how many fruits/veggies Bode and Gianna have eaten (or not eaten).

We also watched TV.  Aunt Dawnie sent us the classic "Cinderella."  Gianna was very scared by the cat.  She came running to me and refused to leave my side.  So I sat with her for a bit and talked about how it is "just" a cartoon. But then, I forget that her little brain doesn't work like mine does. TV is 'real' in her world. She loved watching Cinderella turn into a princess.  I love how the mice say, "Cinderelly." 

We went for haircuts this week, too, since Bode's hair was in his eyes.  I asked him how he wanted his hair done and he said, "Very short."  So that's what we told the hair stylist. The hair stylist complied, with clippers.  

I really prefer his hair on the longer side. I'm not a fan of the "boy cut." But I think Bode should choose how his hair is done. I always love seeing his smile.

It's been over three weeks, and I love seeing this baby's skin clear up.  He looks so much better. I miss drinking my Starbuck's mocha, and miss eating all things cheese, but I can live without.  I love seeing this little guy's head free of rash and scratches.

On Sunday, it is my blog anniversary, or "blogoversary." I missed last year! So this year, I'm celebrating twice, so to speak. I have some fun things planned. Stay tuned!

Happy Friday!

xo

Nico: 5 months

Dear Nico,

Yes, it is that time again. Time to report that you are one month older, and nearly half a year old!

You love your diaper being changed.  You love lying on your back, feet up in the air.  You like smiling at me from this point, and letting out a long, loud "Tarzan-style" yell.

You love your brother Bode, and he loves you.  Bode is great about talking to you about every little thing. You listen to his narration, and smile.  He makes you laugh by jumping around you.  Bode makes you feel good by just being in the room (just like he does with all of us).

You are kind of sitting up on your own.  I can prop you up in the corner of a chair and you'll stay put for the most part. Sometimes you will sit on your own, bracing yourself with your arms.  "Tummy time" is no longer a challenge. But you do get bored there, or possibly frustrated that you can't get the toys just out of your reach. You haven't mastered rolling yet, either. I think this is something that you would be able to do, if only I could resist picking you up and holding you all the time!

You have this high pitched screech that hurts my ears.  You screech when you are happy, lying on your back and grabbing your feet during a diaper change. You screech when you are sad,  waking up in the middle of the night, waiting for me to wake up and find my way to you for a feeding and diaper change. It is a piercing, unpleasant sound, quite like the dreaded "nails on a chalkboard."  But you also have a wonderful chuckle. You laugh when I nuzzle your neck, when Daddy surprises you with a silly face, or when Bode does whatever magical Bode thing that he does.

At your last check up, you weighed over 16 pounds.  I am starting to dislike Dr. Breen's nurse, who always seems to make a comment about your weight and breastfeeding.  "Exclusively?" she'll challenge, when I answer her question about whether I am still breastfeeding.  Then she clucks her tongue and says, "He's a big boy," as if to suggest that it couldn't be possible to sustain you on breast alone. I have been on the dreaded "Elimination Diet" for the past three weeks.  The diet was started because your soft baby skin has been rough and red, inflamed by something that I'm eating.  It would break my heart to see the red patches all over your head, punctuated by nail marks where you have scratched at your scalp. Two weeks in with no dairy, no chocolate, and no citrus and I'm convinced it is the dairy that had your skin inflamed.  The dairy is the only thing that I have eliminated religiously (even skipping Mamma Mia's pizza last night!).  Three weeks later, your skin is back to normal, soft as silk and pure ivory.  I can live without cheese, my very favorite food, because you are worth it.  And soon you'll be eating solids!  When you are 6 months, Dr. Breen will most likely give the green light to start rice cereal. Yum!  And that will start another change...less feedings with me and more solids for you.  Eating solids means another milestone, more growth, no longer my tiny squishy that I used to hug to my chest, but a big(ger) baby that rides my hip and challenges my arm muscles.

You are such a doll. You are an easy baby, always happy and content to be with us.

I don't know how it is possible, but I love you more (so much more) every day.

love,

Mommy

xo

Nemo

The storm ("Nemo") wasn't so bad.  We lost power around 2 A.M. Saturday morning. Bode woke us up with a blood curdling scream.  It made for a long, interesting morning.  I sat with him in his dark room, talking about the snow storm and why we lost power. While we were talking,  a snow plow came into our driveway. We stood at his window and watched the snow plow push the snow out of our drive.  I think we both found watching the warm headlights of the truck moving around our snowy property very soothing. 

"Nemo" was kind to us. We got about six inches of snow.  And other than the interesting power outage, which lasted only a few hours (thank God!), nothing significant happened.

We were so happy because RWF came home on Friday night, after a very "Planes, Trains, and Cars" travel day.  He also had to drive through stormy Nemo to get home.  I am so thankful that he arrived home safely.

We did spend Saturday in bed (practically).  RWF and I were feeling very tired. He was jet-lagged and tired. I was tired from solo parenting and the early morning wake-up. And the monkeys, who were not tired at all (of course!), were more than happy to jump around us, laughing it up in our cozy bedroom. 

We hope that you had a happy weekend, safe and warm.
xo