Warning: Explicit poop story
The the other day, our friends had just arrived from out of town. We were talking in the backyard and Saben was running around pushing his dump truck on the patio. Suddenly, our friend goes "What is that on the ground? Is that poop?"
I look at it and think "oh no, poop feel out of his underwe...." when out of nowhere, Roxxy runs up, eats the poop and then skulks off.
Saben summed it up best "The poop fell out of my pants and then Roxxy ate my poopball!"
Monday, March 10, 2008
Friday, March 07, 2008
Random me
Tagged by Andi to post seven fascinating things about myself....
1) I have a really bad habit of chuckling to myself at my own jokes. Jokes I think of in my head while other people are talking. People often notice and then I have to tell them what I am laughing about whether its funny or not.
2) I became a vegetarian (I did eat fish) when I was a freshman in high school and our family traveled to Hong Kong. Millions of animals dying for us to eat every year made me sad. After 7 years, I went to Egypt and decided that if I was ever going to thrive & fit in a foreign culture, I would have to learn to eat meat. Now it doesn't bother me at all, even on the bone.
3) I did not get a single stretchmark with either pregnancy
4) I really really enjoy weeding. Something about physically removing bad stuff out of the dirt and making it all clean again. I love getting my hands in dirt & the smells of the plants & dirt. The only time I don't like weeding is in heavy soil where the roots break off constantly. If I'm in a garden with weeds I have a really hard time not pulling them, but only because I enjoy it. I even pull them at parks occaisionally.
5) I almost never eat candy or ice cream. (but plenty of cookies, pastries & fruity desserts)
6) My brother & sister-in-law are about to enter a pool of applicants to adopt an infant and I am very very excited for them!
7) While I wrote this, Annika ate 1/4 of a business card before I noticed.
1) I have a really bad habit of chuckling to myself at my own jokes. Jokes I think of in my head while other people are talking. People often notice and then I have to tell them what I am laughing about whether its funny or not.
2) I became a vegetarian (I did eat fish) when I was a freshman in high school and our family traveled to Hong Kong. Millions of animals dying for us to eat every year made me sad. After 7 years, I went to Egypt and decided that if I was ever going to thrive & fit in a foreign culture, I would have to learn to eat meat. Now it doesn't bother me at all, even on the bone.
3) I did not get a single stretchmark with either pregnancy
4) I really really enjoy weeding. Something about physically removing bad stuff out of the dirt and making it all clean again. I love getting my hands in dirt & the smells of the plants & dirt. The only time I don't like weeding is in heavy soil where the roots break off constantly. If I'm in a garden with weeds I have a really hard time not pulling them, but only because I enjoy it. I even pull them at parks occaisionally.
5) I almost never eat candy or ice cream. (but plenty of cookies, pastries & fruity desserts)
6) My brother & sister-in-law are about to enter a pool of applicants to adopt an infant and I am very very excited for them!
7) While I wrote this, Annika ate 1/4 of a business card before I noticed.
Food
Refusal to Eat
Q: Should a parent try to force a child to eat?
A: No. In fact, the dinner table is one potential battlefield where a parent can easily get ambushed. You can’t win there! A strong-willed child is like a good military general who constantly seeks an advantageous place to take on the enemy. He need look no farther than the dinner table. Of all the common points of conflict between generations—bedtime, hair, clothes, schoolwork, etc.—the advantages in a food fight are all in the child’s favor! Three times a day, a very tiny youngster can simply refuse to open his mouth. No amount of coercing can make him eat what he doesn’t want to eat.
I remember one three-year-old who was determined not to eat his green peas, despite the insistence of his father that the squishy little vegetables were going down. It was a classic confrontation between the irresistible force and an immovable object. Neither would yield. After an hour of haranguing, threatening, cajoling, and sweating, the father had not achieved his goal. The tearful toddler sat with a forkload of peas pointed ominously at his sealed lips.
Finally, through sheer intimidation, the dad managed to get one bite of peas in place. But the lad wouldn’t swallow them. I don’t know everything that went on afterward, but the mother told me they had no choice but to put the child to bed with the peas still in his mouth. They were amazed at the strength of his will.
The next morning, the mother found a little pile of mushy peas where they had been expelled at the foot of the bed! Score one for Junior, none for Dad. Tell me in what other arena a thirty-pound child could whip a grown man!
Not every toddler is this tough, of course. But many of them will gladly do battle over food. It is their ideal power game. Talk to any experienced parent or grandparent and they will tell you this is true. The sad thing is that these conflicts are unnecessary. Children will eat as much as they need if you keep them from indulging in the wrong stuff. They will not starve. I promise!
The way to deal with a poor eater is to set good food before him. If he claims to not be hungry, wrap the plate, put it in the refrigerator, and send him cheerfully on his way. He’ll be back in a few hours. God has put a funny little feeling in his tummy that says, “Gimme food!” When this occurs, do not put sweets, snacks, or confectionery food in front of him. Simply retrieve the earlier meal, warm it up, and serve it again. If he protests, send him out to play again. Even if twelve hours or more go by, continue this procedure until food—all food—begins to look and smell wonderful. From that time forward, the battle over the dinner table should be history.
— Dr. James Dobson
Ok, so apparently Dr. Dobson forgot the part where your hungry child becomes low blood sugar, despondent, cries himself to sleep on the floor at 10am, then wakes up and throws up the water he drank in the morning to try to alleviate his hunger. All so that he didn't have to try one bite of potato the size of a blueberry that he refused to try the night before. (we were trying to get him to try one bite of something new, no more food until he tries that bite.)
Do I just keep refusing food until he passes out? Which is practically what he was doing, he was all ready to just go back to sleep again (which he never does & definitely shouldn't be tired since he's had all his naps & gone to bed on time lately).
How is refusing him food until he eats what you want him to eat not "forcing" him to eat? It sure feels exactly like the battle Dobson describes before his brilliant solution. We were most certainly engaged in a battle of wills and stuborness.
I know we haven't done everything perfect in the food department, but where to go from here? I have a son who eats no vegetables, lots of fruit, lots of dairy & carbs, breaded chicken & occaisionally white fish. And refried beans, but only the ones at Taco Lobo that are pureed smooth. And will not try anything new unless its a condiment.
We've tried offering him new things & just letting him eat or not eat it as if we don't care. Doesn't seem to help. We've tried only giving him what we are eating for dinner and that led to:
1) Completely miserable meal & bedtimes for over 2 weeks with almost zero progress
2) Saben crying the instant I told him it was supper time. He dreaded & hated dinner.
3) Saben binging on 4 bowls of cereal every morning because he was so hungry.
4) Pregnant, tired mommy & daddy finally giving up.
What's nuts is that he actually eats fewer things these days because every now & then he'll get tired of something & drop it from his repitoire. (like cheese sticks) I tried blending some squash into his mac & cheese, and now he thinks he doesn't like mac & cheese either. Oh, and Saben LOVES to help me make food, he does it all the time. But contrary to stories you see everywhere, just because he helps me make a huge green salad does not mean he will try even one bite of it.
Ideas, weblinks, books, & encouragement welcome.
Q: Should a parent try to force a child to eat?
A: No. In fact, the dinner table is one potential battlefield where a parent can easily get ambushed. You can’t win there! A strong-willed child is like a good military general who constantly seeks an advantageous place to take on the enemy. He need look no farther than the dinner table. Of all the common points of conflict between generations—bedtime, hair, clothes, schoolwork, etc.—the advantages in a food fight are all in the child’s favor! Three times a day, a very tiny youngster can simply refuse to open his mouth. No amount of coercing can make him eat what he doesn’t want to eat.
I remember one three-year-old who was determined not to eat his green peas, despite the insistence of his father that the squishy little vegetables were going down. It was a classic confrontation between the irresistible force and an immovable object. Neither would yield. After an hour of haranguing, threatening, cajoling, and sweating, the father had not achieved his goal. The tearful toddler sat with a forkload of peas pointed ominously at his sealed lips.
Finally, through sheer intimidation, the dad managed to get one bite of peas in place. But the lad wouldn’t swallow them. I don’t know everything that went on afterward, but the mother told me they had no choice but to put the child to bed with the peas still in his mouth. They were amazed at the strength of his will.
The next morning, the mother found a little pile of mushy peas where they had been expelled at the foot of the bed! Score one for Junior, none for Dad. Tell me in what other arena a thirty-pound child could whip a grown man!
Not every toddler is this tough, of course. But many of them will gladly do battle over food. It is their ideal power game. Talk to any experienced parent or grandparent and they will tell you this is true. The sad thing is that these conflicts are unnecessary. Children will eat as much as they need if you keep them from indulging in the wrong stuff. They will not starve. I promise!
The way to deal with a poor eater is to set good food before him. If he claims to not be hungry, wrap the plate, put it in the refrigerator, and send him cheerfully on his way. He’ll be back in a few hours. God has put a funny little feeling in his tummy that says, “Gimme food!” When this occurs, do not put sweets, snacks, or confectionery food in front of him. Simply retrieve the earlier meal, warm it up, and serve it again. If he protests, send him out to play again. Even if twelve hours or more go by, continue this procedure until food—all food—begins to look and smell wonderful. From that time forward, the battle over the dinner table should be history.
— Dr. James Dobson
Ok, so apparently Dr. Dobson forgot the part where your hungry child becomes low blood sugar, despondent, cries himself to sleep on the floor at 10am, then wakes up and throws up the water he drank in the morning to try to alleviate his hunger. All so that he didn't have to try one bite of potato the size of a blueberry that he refused to try the night before. (we were trying to get him to try one bite of something new, no more food until he tries that bite.)
Do I just keep refusing food until he passes out? Which is practically what he was doing, he was all ready to just go back to sleep again (which he never does & definitely shouldn't be tired since he's had all his naps & gone to bed on time lately).
How is refusing him food until he eats what you want him to eat not "forcing" him to eat? It sure feels exactly like the battle Dobson describes before his brilliant solution. We were most certainly engaged in a battle of wills and stuborness.
I know we haven't done everything perfect in the food department, but where to go from here? I have a son who eats no vegetables, lots of fruit, lots of dairy & carbs, breaded chicken & occaisionally white fish. And refried beans, but only the ones at Taco Lobo that are pureed smooth. And will not try anything new unless its a condiment.
We've tried offering him new things & just letting him eat or not eat it as if we don't care. Doesn't seem to help. We've tried only giving him what we are eating for dinner and that led to:
1) Completely miserable meal & bedtimes for over 2 weeks with almost zero progress
2) Saben crying the instant I told him it was supper time. He dreaded & hated dinner.
3) Saben binging on 4 bowls of cereal every morning because he was so hungry.
4) Pregnant, tired mommy & daddy finally giving up.
What's nuts is that he actually eats fewer things these days because every now & then he'll get tired of something & drop it from his repitoire. (like cheese sticks) I tried blending some squash into his mac & cheese, and now he thinks he doesn't like mac & cheese either. Oh, and Saben LOVES to help me make food, he does it all the time. But contrary to stories you see everywhere, just because he helps me make a huge green salad does not mean he will try even one bite of it.
Ideas, weblinks, books, & encouragement welcome.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Garlic Potatoes
We tried this very delicious Garlic Roasted Potatoes recipe tonite. It is like garlic fries with less oil. Try it. You'll love it. (If you are mad about garlic like we are)
Update: The link above no longer links to the psycho mouse nativity set. Whoops. No idea how that happened except that I was telling someone that a psycho-cute chipmunk would make a funny t-shirt and used the nativity set as an example.
ps. Dad, make sure you check out the recipe, I think I found the perfect recipe website for you....
Update: The link above no longer links to the psycho mouse nativity set. Whoops. No idea how that happened except that I was telling someone that a psycho-cute chipmunk would make a funny t-shirt and used the nativity set as an example.
ps. Dad, make sure you check out the recipe, I think I found the perfect recipe website for you....
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Ok, so you know how when you take your kid to the doctor you are totally freaked out about other people's sick kids? Well today I took Annika & Saben in to get Annika's flu booster shot. While we were waiting this little girl (3 1/2?) comes in, yells "BABY!!!" and runs over to Annika.
I'm trying not to be paranoid, and her dad goes "Don't touch the baby honey". People say this all the time when their kids want to touch Annika, so I am trying to decide why he said it... did he mean in general, or because his daughter is sick? He turns his back to do paperwork at the counter and she hangs around and then starts rocking Annika in her carseat. Since he doesn't do anything more I assume she must not be sick.
Then her Dad turns around and goes "Don't touch that baby" again. Our eyes meet, I think he was trying to figure out if I was annoyed and he sort of smiles. I'm still trying to figure out if his daughter is sick, but I smile as if its ok, because it is ok with me, assuming she isn't spreading germs. He finally comes over, by this time she's had her hands all over the carseat, leaned in close to Annika's face & let annika touch her shirt.
He goes "sorry about that" and I go "its fine, assuming she's not deathly ill or anything". See, I just ASSUMED that if she was really ill that her Dad would be clever enough to keep her FAR FAR away from kids and infants. So guess what he says next?
"Actually, I brought her in because I think she has pink eye". SERIOUSLY!???? Seriously????? Pink Eye!!! What on earth was he thinking???? She rubs her eyes, she touches things, we touch the same things - car seat handle perhaps??? then we touch our eyes and voila, we all get pink eye too.
Of course I'm too shocked to actually say anything and they got called in right at that moment. As we were leaving, they were leaving too and sure enough I see he has a prescription in his hand. Luckily the nurse helped me disinfect everything & we all washed & sanitized our hands, but I wish I could go back and give it to that dad.
So now I have a new strategy. Anytime another kid tries to touch my kids in the doctor's office, I am going to tell the parents that MY kid is desparately ill. That'll show them.
I'm trying not to be paranoid, and her dad goes "Don't touch the baby honey". People say this all the time when their kids want to touch Annika, so I am trying to decide why he said it... did he mean in general, or because his daughter is sick? He turns his back to do paperwork at the counter and she hangs around and then starts rocking Annika in her carseat. Since he doesn't do anything more I assume she must not be sick.
Then her Dad turns around and goes "Don't touch that baby" again. Our eyes meet, I think he was trying to figure out if I was annoyed and he sort of smiles. I'm still trying to figure out if his daughter is sick, but I smile as if its ok, because it is ok with me, assuming she isn't spreading germs. He finally comes over, by this time she's had her hands all over the carseat, leaned in close to Annika's face & let annika touch her shirt.
He goes "sorry about that" and I go "its fine, assuming she's not deathly ill or anything". See, I just ASSUMED that if she was really ill that her Dad would be clever enough to keep her FAR FAR away from kids and infants. So guess what he says next?
"Actually, I brought her in because I think she has pink eye". SERIOUSLY!???? Seriously????? Pink Eye!!! What on earth was he thinking???? She rubs her eyes, she touches things, we touch the same things - car seat handle perhaps??? then we touch our eyes and voila, we all get pink eye too.
Of course I'm too shocked to actually say anything and they got called in right at that moment. As we were leaving, they were leaving too and sure enough I see he has a prescription in his hand. Luckily the nurse helped me disinfect everything & we all washed & sanitized our hands, but I wish I could go back and give it to that dad.
So now I have a new strategy. Anytime another kid tries to touch my kids in the doctor's office, I am going to tell the parents that MY kid is desparately ill. That'll show them.
Preparing, wedding, vacation
There is so much to catch up on... A week of preparing for a wedding & vacation, the wedding itself and then finally a much needed break in Hawaii and suddenly 3 weeks have slipped by.
Packing for 10 days away from our house was dreadful & time consuming, but everything came together with no last minute surprises. I think packing is quite possibly one of my least favorite activities - I actually have reoccurring nightmares about trying to get packed and being late for a plane.
Friday morning we drove to Seattle and I started working on the flowers for my sister-in-law's wedding. There was sort of a mess when the flowers arrived looking more red & yellow instead of orange, but it all came together and I got all the bouquets, corsages & church decorations finished without any more hitches. Special kudos to Kyle for staying up late with me wiring Eucalyptus leaves. I'll try and find some pictures to post later.
Shauna's wedding was beautiful and everything came together so smoothly! It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed being a part of her special day. We were all in the wedding except for Annika. Saben did a great job as ring bearer, I convinced him it was a special job and that they really needed him to bring the ring to them in the front. He walked right down the aisle with no hesitation and even climbed up the steps to offer the ring to Kyle.
At the reception, lack of sleep finally caugth up with Saben and he went nuts. He was out on the dance floor ripping it up, doing his fancy footwork that makes him look like an elf in riverdance. Then he started running. And running some more. Then falling down on purpose. Round and round the room, weaving in and out of tables. I couldn't do anything except hold Annkia and try to keep an eye on him. I tried to get him to slow down but it became apparent that he was so far gone that any attempt to control him would end in screaming. (note: Saben is normally very obedient, but when he is super tired he gets very upset easily and nothing solves it except to put him in bed)
So we left the reception earlier than we'd hoped and sure enough, Kyle had to carry Saben out kicking and screaming. He was SO tired. But... I think watching him go crazy dancing & running was totally worth it, it was one of the funniest things I've ever seen him do.
Sunday we were able to relax a bit with the friends we stayed with (THANK YOU kyle & holly kate!!!!) then spent the night with Kyle's parents who drove us to the airport the next morning for our flight to Hawaii. Hurray!!!!!
To be continued.....
Packing for 10 days away from our house was dreadful & time consuming, but everything came together with no last minute surprises. I think packing is quite possibly one of my least favorite activities - I actually have reoccurring nightmares about trying to get packed and being late for a plane.
Friday morning we drove to Seattle and I started working on the flowers for my sister-in-law's wedding. There was sort of a mess when the flowers arrived looking more red & yellow instead of orange, but it all came together and I got all the bouquets, corsages & church decorations finished without any more hitches. Special kudos to Kyle for staying up late with me wiring Eucalyptus leaves. I'll try and find some pictures to post later.
Shauna's wedding was beautiful and everything came together so smoothly! It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed being a part of her special day. We were all in the wedding except for Annika. Saben did a great job as ring bearer, I convinced him it was a special job and that they really needed him to bring the ring to them in the front. He walked right down the aisle with no hesitation and even climbed up the steps to offer the ring to Kyle.
At the reception, lack of sleep finally caugth up with Saben and he went nuts. He was out on the dance floor ripping it up, doing his fancy footwork that makes him look like an elf in riverdance. Then he started running. And running some more. Then falling down on purpose. Round and round the room, weaving in and out of tables. I couldn't do anything except hold Annkia and try to keep an eye on him. I tried to get him to slow down but it became apparent that he was so far gone that any attempt to control him would end in screaming. (note: Saben is normally very obedient, but when he is super tired he gets very upset easily and nothing solves it except to put him in bed)
So we left the reception earlier than we'd hoped and sure enough, Kyle had to carry Saben out kicking and screaming. He was SO tired. But... I think watching him go crazy dancing & running was totally worth it, it was one of the funniest things I've ever seen him do.
Sunday we were able to relax a bit with the friends we stayed with (THANK YOU kyle & holly kate!!!!) then spent the night with Kyle's parents who drove us to the airport the next morning for our flight to Hawaii. Hurray!!!!!
To be continued.....
Friday, February 15, 2008
Week in Review
Awesome:
Bought plane tickets at a great price & reserved a condo for a trip to Hawaii only 2 weeks before we go.
Found out we have enough miles on our credit card to cover the price of all three plane tickets!
Valentines day was wonderful, I discovered how much I love gourmet/imported cheeses with good wine (barnard griffin cabernet - a wonderful $13 splurge) & made some excellent crab cakes.
Tonite we have a date while my parents watch the kids - dinner & then a concert at Western.
After our date is my Sis-in-laws bachelorette party. Woo hoo!
Tomorrow the party continues and Kyle is watching the kids most of the day.
Its supposed to be sunny this weekend.
Annika really loves every vegetable we've given her except Avocado. Meanwhile, Avocado is the only vegetable her brother likes.
So many of my bulbs & flowers are bursting/about to burst into bloom.
Not Awesome
I went to the doctor and found out they want to do surgery as soon as we get back from Hawaii on my ingrown toenail. blech.
Our awesome insurance probably won't cover any of the surgery because we have a $1500 deductible.
Annika stayed up till nearly 10pm twice this week and woke up around 1-3am most nights.
Saben is having a terrible week for potty training. For some reason he keeps going in his pants. I have done the kids laundry 3 times in 5 days just to keep up. He keeps happily quoting the Elmo video "Accidents happen mom". I acted stern about it finally and its only gotten worse since then.
Saben woke Annika up 15 minutes into her nap today & I can't get her back down. She is "helping" me type this post.
I hate buying swimsuits.
Annika just spit up all over my pants.
Bought plane tickets at a great price & reserved a condo for a trip to Hawaii only 2 weeks before we go.
Found out we have enough miles on our credit card to cover the price of all three plane tickets!
Valentines day was wonderful, I discovered how much I love gourmet/imported cheeses with good wine (barnard griffin cabernet - a wonderful $13 splurge) & made some excellent crab cakes.
Tonite we have a date while my parents watch the kids - dinner & then a concert at Western.
After our date is my Sis-in-laws bachelorette party. Woo hoo!
Tomorrow the party continues and Kyle is watching the kids most of the day.
Its supposed to be sunny this weekend.
Annika really loves every vegetable we've given her except Avocado. Meanwhile, Avocado is the only vegetable her brother likes.
So many of my bulbs & flowers are bursting/about to burst into bloom.
Not Awesome
I went to the doctor and found out they want to do surgery as soon as we get back from Hawaii on my ingrown toenail. blech.
Our awesome insurance probably won't cover any of the surgery because we have a $1500 deductible.
Annika stayed up till nearly 10pm twice this week and woke up around 1-3am most nights.
Saben is having a terrible week for potty training. For some reason he keeps going in his pants. I have done the kids laundry 3 times in 5 days just to keep up. He keeps happily quoting the Elmo video "Accidents happen mom". I acted stern about it finally and its only gotten worse since then.
Saben woke Annika up 15 minutes into her nap today & I can't get her back down. She is "helping" me type this post.
I hate buying swimsuits.
Annika just spit up all over my pants.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Birthday Wishes
Things Saben has requested for his birthday:
1) Two pink candles on his cake
2) Gifts - a string of chili pepper lights, a honey bear and a pool table "just a little one"
1) Two pink candles on his cake
2) Gifts - a string of chili pepper lights, a honey bear and a pool table "just a little one"
Sunday, February 10, 2008
10 on 10
A fun project started by Rebekah - One photo every hour for ten hours on the tenth day of the month. So here is my Sunday, captured in photos. We were stuck at home all day for various reasons while Kyle was out shooting guns and racing cars at a bachelor party.
ps. ten points if you can guess where we're going on vacation!
Friday, February 08, 2008
February
What have we been up to? Other than puking our brains out? Seriously, if you are in that lovely time of life where you only vomit say .... once every 5 years or so, count yourself lucky. If children are entering the picture anytime soon, you can pretty much count on barfing at least once a year, if not more. (right now we're at 4 times in less than 2 years)
This week we neared the ultimate, with 3 of us all sick at exactly the same time. (2am to be exact) Annika was woken up by the um... commotion, but easily placated by Baby Einstein until Mommy was able to get her back to sleep. She actually got it first, but was pretty much better before it hit the rest of us.
But we're better now and getting ready for a couple of mighty busy weeks. We've got a wedding to be in, flowers to arrange for the wedding and possibly, hopefully, a fun "spur of the moment" vacation to go on. (More on that later, once we've got all our reservations)
Lately we've also been....
Getting ready to crawl....
Doing lots of rainy day art projects.
The last two weekends we went up to the mountains to enjoy some snow. Here's instructions in case you live near Bellingham and want some snow fun of your own.
1) buy a sled for $12.99 at Yaegars. Make sure to buy about 10 ft of rope to tow it with. (loop it)
2) Drive up Mt. Baker Hwy. Stop for cheap gas in Deming, but pack a lunch because the sub shop there is under construction. Continue driving to Glacier. Across the street from the Italian restaurant, directly behind a store who's name I forgot, is a road. Turn onto it.
3) Drive till you reach 6" or more of snow (for us it was only like 1/2 mile) and park.
4) Walk up the road, pulling youngsters in sled. Stop for snowball fights. Be sure to initiate your potty trained son in the fine art of creating "Yellow Snow". Get him so excited about it that he starts telling strangers "Don't eat yellow snow!"
5) When you get tired, turn around and sled back down to the car. Unless you got a big kiddo, Daddy or mommy will want to sled with him.
6) Stop at an espresso stand for an 8oz hot chocolate. Be sure to beat the 4:30pm Baker rush.
7) Drive home & enjoy the peace & quiet while tired kids doze in the back.
Snow running
Sledding
Snowballs! (or Snowchunks?)
Mommy's Favorite Outfits
Annika has so many adorable outfits -especially dresses - to wear right now, I am dreading the day she outgrows everything. I hate putting clothes away that are too small, I always feel so nostalgic, especially when the 0-3mos stuff goes. But on the other hand I love pulling out all the new sized stuff and getting to wear things for the first time.
So if you see us out and about, and Annika is completely overdressed for the occaision, its because I am trying to squeeze every last day out of her gorgeous little dresses. Here's a few favorites I've managed to get pictures of, but there are plenty more to come:
Brown dress from Auntie Shauna (there's better pics, but this one amuses me. Artistically, the contrast of hairy arms with a dainty dress really says something...about something.)
Technically she's outgrown this one, but I squeezed her into it one last time to get a photo. It was from Jon & Vicky. Not the bow though, mommy just thought she should have one bow picture since they never stay on more than a couple minutes.
Mommy picked out this dress last summer when she was pregnant and it is still my favorite ever. I was hoping it would fit for easter....
More from photo shoot "White Balloon, Green Dress". I think she has this modeling thing nailed.
(I know what you're thinking....what mommy blogger doesn't think their daughter should be a model. But come on, look at that pout and the delicate way she's holding the balloon. Natural talent, you can't fake that.)
Have a heart
If you are really serious about your carbon footprint, click here.
It is the least you can do to save our planet and I am happy to help you fulfill your carbon offset needs if you don't want to clutter your own yard.
It is the least you can do to save our planet and I am happy to help you fulfill your carbon offset needs if you don't want to clutter your own yard.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Help!
There is something that has bothered me for quite some time. It is the way that mascara either
1) Smudges below your eyes during the day, but washes off easily at night
2) Does not smudge, but when you wash, it comes off your eyelashes and sticks like a bugger to the skin below your eyes
Please tell me you've found this happy alternative:
1) Does not smudge, but washes off easily with water
I don't care if its waterproof as long as it comes off your skin easily after crying, bathing, etc.
If you have found this magic mascara, please tell me the brand, type, etc. Be specific because I would hate to end up with the "Extended Lashes Extra Moisturizing Maybelline"when you meant "Conditioning Long Lash Maybelline"
1) Smudges below your eyes during the day, but washes off easily at night
2) Does not smudge, but when you wash, it comes off your eyelashes and sticks like a bugger to the skin below your eyes
Please tell me you've found this happy alternative:
1) Does not smudge, but washes off easily with water
I don't care if its waterproof as long as it comes off your skin easily after crying, bathing, etc.
If you have found this magic mascara, please tell me the brand, type, etc. Be specific because I would hate to end up with the "Extended Lashes Extra Moisturizing Maybelline"when you meant "Conditioning Long Lash Maybelline"
Friday, January 25, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Not to get all controversial, but....
"I'd like to see a women's bible study done on how to be like Moses."
Abe's idea after we were discussing the pervasive nature of the "Proverbs 31 woman" in studies aimed at women.
Abe's idea after we were discussing the pervasive nature of the "Proverbs 31 woman" in studies aimed at women.
Head problems
Back in December one day, Kyle goes "Hey Kari, what is this huge lump on Annika's head?" (my husband is prone to vast exageration) I went and looked at it and told him it was just the way her head was. Then the next day I was looking more closely and realized one side of her skull was definitely bumpier than the other side.
I figured it was nothing, but took her in to the doctor just in case. He thought it looked odd too - we both agreed that if the lump had been on both sides of her head, it would seem normal, but it was more pronounced on just one side. So he ordered a CAT scan a week later, just in case. That week was not much fun at all.
We arrived for the scan and she was asleep in the carseat. The technician decided to try and do it in the carseat and said something that amazed me "We've never tried doing an infant in a carseat before, what a great idea" DUH. So she slept through the entire thing and I managed to only briefly tear up as I watched them manuver her tiny little body into the huge alien spaceship thing they use to scan people's heads.
I figured it was nothing, but took her in to the doctor just in case. He thought it looked odd too - we both agreed that if the lump had been on both sides of her head, it would seem normal, but it was more pronounced on just one side. So he ordered a CAT scan a week later, just in case. That week was not much fun at all.
We arrived for the scan and she was asleep in the carseat. The technician decided to try and do it in the carseat and said something that amazed me "We've never tried doing an infant in a carseat before, what a great idea" DUH. So she slept through the entire thing and I managed to only briefly tear up as I watched them manuver her tiny little body into the huge alien spaceship thing they use to scan people's heads.
Then we waited - they said they would call immediately if they found anything awful, so that day was sort of a nightmare. I finally talked to our doctor 5 days later (it was over a weekend) and he said it looked fine, but he'd send it to a specialist just in case.
Finally we heard back last week and got this beautiful picture of her noggin. Apparently she does have a funny lopsided head, which is "not normal" but "not terribly unusual" either. There should be no lasting consequences and it should be hidden once her hair grows in. But we're still keeping an eye on it just in case the growth plates close too soon, which is unlikely.
So that's the story, mostly I just wanted to post the cool picture of her head. And record it so I can remind Annika when she's 16 that shaving her hair off is probably not going to be an attractive symbol of rebellion.
How Annika Eats
Eyes spot spoon, mouth opens, hand reaches
Grab - give me the spoon!
Spoon wrenched from mommy, shoved in general direction of mouth
Rice cereal on face, eyebrows, spoon finally reaches the gaping hole
Sideways, upside down, cereal in, cereal out
Spoon is sucked, chewed, mangled
cereal is swallowed, thrust out in clumps and slides out stealthily on a river of drool
Suddenly its over, the cereal has been dispersed and the spoon is quickly tossed to the floor
Mommy reaches for it in slow motion...noooooooo....
it hits the floor, bend over, wipe clean, wipe baby, baby cries for more, start second bite
while noticing burning dinner on stove, whining toddler and husband home, ready for a hug
Grab - give me the spoon!
Spoon wrenched from mommy, shoved in general direction of mouth
Rice cereal on face, eyebrows, spoon finally reaches the gaping hole
Sideways, upside down, cereal in, cereal out
Spoon is sucked, chewed, mangled
cereal is swallowed, thrust out in clumps and slides out stealthily on a river of drool
Suddenly its over, the cereal has been dispersed and the spoon is quickly tossed to the floor
Mommy reaches for it in slow motion...noooooooo....
it hits the floor, bend over, wipe clean, wipe baby, baby cries for more, start second bite
while noticing burning dinner on stove, whining toddler and husband home, ready for a hug
Monday, January 21, 2008
so many random things...
Oh how I've missed the sun this winter, and how glorious it was today to go running along our beautiful waterfront. Even if it is freezing, the sun made today wonderful.
Speaking of running... I have finally started up again after a long pregnancy break. Our friend Abe volunteered to sit at our house for an hour twice a week while he's in school so that I can go running while the kids nap. This is the most amazing, life changing thing ever and he's officially near the top of my "favorite guy who's not my husband" list. I'm managing 3-4 runs a week and it feels so wonderful.
I also can't believe I've never mentioned the other life-saver around here - my mom - who comes up every week to watch the kids for me. She's done this for almost three years now, ever since Saben was born. I love getting groceries without the kids, getting another run in (for the two weeks I've been doing it) and most of all it is fun to see her & Saben have such a great relationship. We almost always go out to lunch and its so nice to catch up, have some company and get some advice & encouragement from someone "experienced".
The other day, Saben & Kyle went on a bike ride while I was nursing Annika. Apparently he accidentally crashed - twisted the handle bars & fell off his glider bike. He started laughing, yelled "I crashed!", got back on and then purposely crashed several more times. He had just watched the crash segment on a Mt. Bike video that morning and I guess it looked pretty cool to him.
Around here, I only have energy to keep up with 4 out of the 5 things I like to do. If I am exercising, eating healthy, playing with the kids & keeping the house clean - I am not spending any time with my friends. If I am spending time with friends than usually my house is a mess. It is so hard to balance everything, I always joke I'd have to work hard till 10pm every night just to meet my own standards. But I'm slowly learning to at least do everything 75-80% as well as I'd like instead of just letting one thing drop off the map completely.
Speaking of running... I have finally started up again after a long pregnancy break. Our friend Abe volunteered to sit at our house for an hour twice a week while he's in school so that I can go running while the kids nap. This is the most amazing, life changing thing ever and he's officially near the top of my "favorite guy who's not my husband" list. I'm managing 3-4 runs a week and it feels so wonderful.
I also can't believe I've never mentioned the other life-saver around here - my mom - who comes up every week to watch the kids for me. She's done this for almost three years now, ever since Saben was born. I love getting groceries without the kids, getting another run in (for the two weeks I've been doing it) and most of all it is fun to see her & Saben have such a great relationship. We almost always go out to lunch and its so nice to catch up, have some company and get some advice & encouragement from someone "experienced".
The other day, Saben & Kyle went on a bike ride while I was nursing Annika. Apparently he accidentally crashed - twisted the handle bars & fell off his glider bike. He started laughing, yelled "I crashed!", got back on and then purposely crashed several more times. He had just watched the crash segment on a Mt. Bike video that morning and I guess it looked pretty cool to him.
Around here, I only have energy to keep up with 4 out of the 5 things I like to do. If I am exercising, eating healthy, playing with the kids & keeping the house clean - I am not spending any time with my friends. If I am spending time with friends than usually my house is a mess. It is so hard to balance everything, I always joke I'd have to work hard till 10pm every night just to meet my own standards. But I'm slowly learning to at least do everything 75-80% as well as I'd like instead of just letting one thing drop off the map completely.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Bath Contraption
I just looooove the seat for Annika that is in the picture below. Unfortunately it is circa 1985 or something and since that time I believe someone must have deemed them "deadly" because they are no where to be found these days. Now you have to buy blow up seats so the kids don't bonk their heads I guess.
Personally, I don't know how my seat can be so dangerous as long as I stay right there, and it works so well, she loves it!
Personally, I don't know how my seat can be so dangerous as long as I stay right there, and it works so well, she loves it!
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