Maggie, Month Four

Dearest Darling Maggs -

Month four is upon us, and you have been in rare form lately!

You are thisclose to rolling over, and in fact you may have done it once the other day. It was hard to tell if you made it all the way over or not, as you were pinned on your arm and very unhappy about it. You've also been spending more time in the bumbo and hanging in the exer-saucer here and there.

Look! You are big!

It amazes me how quickly you've become a real baby. A real drooling, laughing, screaming baby. You grab for toys and chew your fingers and blow raspberries. Your vocalizations are out of this world. Your favorite sound as of late is one we like to call the exotic-cat-bird sound. It's quite loud, really. Luckily it is also quite adorable.

This was a big month in terms of meeting new people. You finally got some face time with your uncle Danny and your Great Grammy W. They were both enchanted with you, as were you them.

You also got to spend some quality time with your godmother Aunt Denise.

But your favorite person is this fella:

You can't get enough of your big brother. Luckily for you, the feeling is mutual. He is constantly telling me how much he loves you. Sometimes he cries at bedtime because he can't give you kiss, as you are already in bed.

A long time ago, before I was pregnant with you, I wanted another baby so badly. Your daddy thought he was ok with just two kids, but I just knew in my heart of hearts that our family wasn't complete yet. Something, someone, was missing. And when you came along, it was like everything fell into place. I'm not religious, but there is this bible verse that goes something like, 'Before you were born, I knew you.' I've always known you, Maggs, and when I look into your green-gray eyes, I think to myself that I'm the luckiest girl alive because I get to spend the rest of my life knowing you.

Love, Mama

The Sour Patch Kid Experiment

Last night my sister-in-law came over with some candy for the kids. She had Swedish fish, watermelon candies and sour patch kids. Lucy was determined to have some of the 'lellow' candies, i.e. the sour patch kids, so we decided to let her try them. But not before I got the camera...

It wasn't so bad initially...

But then she started chewing...

And that's when things started to get hilarious...

She kept closing one eye, as though that would make the sourness go away...

But no...

Finally, she gave up and just started yelling...

But then, contemplating...

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand giving it another go.

The Magical Mystery Smell

There is a malodorous scent in my kitchen.

The source of the stench is unknown. I spend an hour yesterday emptying out the fridge, evaluating every single item for freshness and wiping down all of the shelves and drawers. And yet, the smell remains. If it doesn't go away within a few more days, I might be tempted to pull the appliances out and see if there isn't something dead or spoiled behind them. Between the cat, who can still catch mice with the best of them, and the kids, who frequently squirrel away sippy cups of milk or half eaten sandwiches, there is a high likelihood of finding something rotten.

This smell is no good, no good at all. We're selling our house (another post, another time, but the main reason I've been a little more quiet lately) and I don't think that a putrid smell is what the realtor had in mind when he suggested a homey aroma for our open house.

A Bit of Reality in a Virtual World

Yesterday was my friend Chrissie's birthday, and she wanted to go bowling. Since the girls were feeling a little under the weather, just Sam and I headed out to the lanes. When we got there, he immediately announced that he didn't like the bowling alley because it wasn't as nice as the one on his new video game. On the Wii, Sam has all of the high scores at bowling, 100 pin bowling and obstacle bowling. In real life? He only managed to knock down a few pins here and there. But you know what? He celebrated just as hard each time he rolled a gutter ball as he did when he connected with some pins.

Last night when I was tucking him in, he said to me, 'Thank you for taking me bowling with all of those real people, Mama.'

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For more Best Shot Monday photos, visit Tracy at Mother May I.

Crtl+Alt+Del

We're back at home and Sam is off to school. Lucy is sick and Maggie is covered in a head-to-toe rash. I didn't work out once during our trip to western PA, and I consumed about 4,000 calories each day, so I'm kind of back to square one as far as my 30 Day Shredding is concerned. But I'm looking forward to getting back on track.

In the meantime, let me regale you with a cautionary tale about traveling alone with children...

On our drive to my parents' house we made one stop. The PA Turnpike has several completely new rest stops that have big, private family restrooms. If I'm going to haul all three kids to the potty, these are the stops I seek out. Plus, they all have Starbucks, and Sam is now old enough to carry a coffee for mom when my hands are full with Maggie and Lucy.

Unfortunately, the process is still quite long. Between feeding and changing Maggie and then getting Sam to pee, the whole thing took almost 40 minutes. The lengthiest portion of the program is getting the kids in and out of the rest stop. All of the unbuckling and re-buckling and hand-holding and toilet interference running takes for-ev-er.

On our way home I was determined not to stop. I can make it the whole way without a bathroom break, and so can Sam. Maggie, however, can't always last. We had just passed the last of the fancy-schmancy new rest stops, and the sign said that the next rest area was not for 58 miles, when she began screaming. She wailed for the next 58 miles almost non-stop. I finally got to the rest area and it was the total pits. I decided that I was going to feed her and change her in the car, and as long as Sam didn't have to pee, we'd just keep on moving.

But as soon as I stood up, I realized that I had to pee. I was parked all the way in the back of the lot for privacy, and I didn't feel like schlepping all of them into the dingy rest area. I had heard stories of other using their children's' diapers in emergency situations, and I had an old size 5 diaper from Lucy tucked into the pocket of the door.

You can see where this is going, can't you?

So, in the back of my mini-van I attempted to pee into a diaper. And I was successful...mostly. I somewhat overestimated the capacity of a size 5 pampers, or I underestimated the amount of urine I had in me. So there was a little teeny bit of spillage. Enough that I had to sit on a blanket to protect my leather seats.

I was thinking that once I got home I would run inside to change before anyone saw me. Except that I forgot that it was every other Tuesday. You know, when we have the house cleaned. So instead of running in and changing, I ran in and had to walk around without letting our cleaning lady see my backside. At least I was successful at that.

So the next time, I think I'll deal with the hassle of dragging the kids in with me. Or buy some depends.

Celebration

Yesterday we had Maggie baptised. We aren't particularly beholden, but there is something about the ceremony that I find comforting. It was a bitter-sweet day, though. It was my mother's birthday, so there was a great deal of celebrating. Unfortunately their priest, who has been with their parish for 15 years, announced his re-assignment at mass. Any time we don't get to spend a holiday with my parents, they spend it with Father Joe. It was tough news for them. Luckily, me and my kids were here to help keep their minds off of things.

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For more Best Shot Monday, visit Tracy at Mother May I.

Babies, Past and Present

Can you tell we're related?

Coupling

Baby couple

Grown-up couple

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For more Best Shot Monday, visit Tracy at Mother May I.

New Year, New Skills

My two year old eats with chopsticks. Is that weird?

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Visit Megan at Mental Inventory for some New Year's Theme Thursday fun!

Shreddin' Like a Felon

So I haven't blogged much this week. Why, you ask? Because every muscle in my body, including the ones in my fingers, are searing. I decided to embark upon the 30 Day Shred thing by Jillian Michaels.

Yes, I've become a Shred Head.

I started eight days ago, and it's been going well. I've been working out almost daily since Maggs turned two months old, but haven't been seeing any changes on the scale. So I've been trying to keep with my regular workouts at the Y, and then I add in the shred either right when we get home or once the kids are "napping" in the afternoon. It's a bit intense some days, but it seems to be getting the job done. I'm just worried about traumatizing my neighbors as I do jumping jacks in my dining room.

Plus I've been trying to really, actually watch what I eat. You know, instead of simply staring at the pizza I'm about to devour and calling it 'watching what I'm eating.' I bought some Quaker weight control instant oatmeal and I have to give it two enthusiastic thumbs up. I make it for breakfast around 8am and don't get hungry again until almost 2pm. And it tastes pretty good as well. I've also started cutting out all booze Sunday through Thursday. I don't need the extra calories in a glass of wine (or three) on the daily. So far, so good.

So I hope you'll forgive the silence. I need to get to a point where my Wii Fit balance board doesn't groan when I step onto it. And when Sam doesn't ask if the baby in my belly is a boy. And when at least half of the clothes in my wardrobe fit again.

Giving a Whole New Meaning to Green Boogers

Lucy has been supremely interested in the contents of her nose lately. Any time she isn't 100% otherwise occupied she has a finger in her nose. And sometimes it doesn't matter what else she has to hold her attention, she only wants to probe the inside of her face.

After dinner, she likes to relax with a nice picking session. She was still at the table the other night when she began. On her plate were the remnants of her dinner. A small puddle of ketchup, some chicken nugget breading and the last of her peas. I was in and out, clearing dishes and whatnot. A few minutes later I wiped her down and set her free.

Half an hour or so later in the living room, I caught her eating peas. Perplexed, I asked her where she got them, and she informed me that they came from her nose. I immediately grabbed her and peered up her nostrils. I couldn't see anything, so I assumed she had already gotten them all out and eaten them.

Until this morning, when the ladies at the Y informed me that Lucy sneezed out some peas during my workout.

Guess who's getting a flashlight stuck up her nose as soon as Dr. Dad gets home?

It's a Major Award!

Remember that photo I posted of Sam and Lucy for the Hilarious Out Takes photo contest? Well Melinda from Bloggin' It From the Burbs chose it as her First Place pick from 276 entries! I'm so excited! And I just can't hide it!

If this is any indicator, 2010 is going to be a great year!