Detectives, Teeth and Quilts

1.) For Valentines Day this year, I made Jayce a little detective kit. (Did you recognize him above? He's in disguise, but showing his ID, so you know that it's really him.) I also made one for his sidekick, Chris. :) I'm having to sit on my hands to not write a tutorial for the detective kit. Oh Lemon Tree Creations, I'm having such a hard time quitting you! :)

Either way, I'll write a little more about their kits in my Valentine's Day post. Is is sad that it's been 2 weeks now and that it's not up yet? I'm a little behind. Actually I just realized that there are only 10 posts for all of February, and I usually try to write at least 3 times per week, so I've definitely been tired. But we'll get there.

2.) Unfortunately little Hannah is to blame for my lack of free time, and that's okay. It's the same old story, her teeth are hurting and she can't sleep. Her nighttime sleep is suffering and her naps are short, so that is that. Last night I looked at her on the monitor, she had lost her little elephant that she likes to snuggle/chew, so she had pulled down the side of the bumper and was chewing on the edge of it. Poor thing.

3.) Now that the weather is getting warmer I've been thinking about our summer and taking the kids outside. Hannah isn't crawling quite yet, and I doubt she'll be walking by summer, so I'd really like to get a good big quilt that I can lay out on the grass outside to play with her. We have a few larger quilts that are family heirlooms, and a little delicate, so I'm not comfortable with laying them out on the grass and dirt in the backyard.

I found an amazing quilt shop a few weeks ago that I keep telling Chris about, Linen and Thread, and I am itching to get my hands on this large blue and beige chevron quilt. The woman who makes the quilts has a grandson with Type 1 diabetes, so she donates 100% of the profits from her quilts to juvenile diabetes research. Isn't that cool? Soooo, basically I'd make a donation to Juvenile Diabetes Research and get a beautiful handmade quilt. I'm in. The quilts are 25% off for the month of February with a promo code, so my big plan was to put a bunch of stuff in my Etsy shop this month and try to get some extra cash rolling in. Unfortunately teething got in the way a bit and I haven't had the free time that I thought I would. But maybe she'll have another sale in the next few months and I can get one for that comfortable warm season. :)

And that is that for now! My sweetie is back up and I'm off to her rescue. I'll just publish a short list for now or my blog may lie dormant all week.

Happy Tuesday!

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Jayce and Dixieland Delight

I took this video of Jayce sometime last summer, singing Dixieland Delight.  This was just after we realized that he knew all of the words and I was trying to get some evidence, so I got a little video on Chris' phone.

One line in the lyrics says, "holding my lover" which I was a little unhappy with Jayce repeating, but luckily he says, "holding my wubber," which sounds a little nicer coming out of a 3 year old mouth.

Enjoy.

 

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Eight Months and Eating

You're 8 months old now, and I never realized how a stationary baby can be so busy!

You are constantly grabbing, constantly looking around, trying to fling yourself out of our arms, wanting to be held but then pushing away on our chest to try to turn your body towards whatever is going on behind you. Whenever we are eating something, or feeding you, you are constantly going, "Ah, ah, ah!!" as if to remind us that you are there expecting some attention, some food, or both. As if we could forget. Even when you are sitting (like in the bathtub) you are constantly bouncing your body as though you are in the exersaucer. And as I watching you in your jumper just yesterday I realized that you are getting some good air in that thing-several times you were bouncing so high that both of your feet were off of the ground. You truly were jumping.

You aren't crawling yet, and I'm fine with that. Occasionally I think, "Maybe she isn't crawling because I don't really encourage her to do it." So I'll put you on your stomach, stick a toy just out of your reach, shake it around and encourage you to go for it. A few seconds later you start screaming like a banshee and I remember that you hate being on your stomach, and that is probably the real reason you aren't crawling yet. You are a big roller though, and will roll around to get to whatever you want.

You also will lean really far forward to get whatever it is that you want, with your legs still fully extended. I know that babies have really good flexibility but it makes me thinking of a ballerina stretching every time that you do it.

Particularly if you are wearing a tutu. :)

Precious.

Last night when we were at dinner your dad burst out with, "She's just so different than Jayce! I know we're tired, but it's kind of fun because she keeps us guessing. It's like we're first time parents and just figuring it all out again."

Just for fun, let's list out all of the ways that you are different than your brother.

You never liked to be swaddled, hated the "baby wedge" that keeps you sleeping on your side, spent your first few weeks in the bouncy seat instead of the bassinet, no interest in bottles or formula, hate the Dr Browns bottles, hated the car seat for your first few months, no interest in baby cereal or any type of baby food, very whiney when your teeth are coming in, and are still not sleeping well at night. You got your teeth sooner than your brother, are drinking well from a sippy cup and straw cup already-way earlier than Jayce, nursed longer than him, and you like snuggly stuffed animals which he never cared for. Almost every thing that I anticipated knowing how to do or how you would respond has been different. It's okay, I should just stop being surprised.

You are still nursing and I'm happy with that. It took us a long time to get the hang of it and it's funny to remember now all of the various nursing "tools" that we used at the beginning. Nursing pillow, nursing timer, notebook to record times, breast shield, water bottle, nursing book, etc. It's a relief to be able to just sit down and do it, and in the morning when you lay down in bed with me to nurse is my favorite. Sometimes I drift off to sleep and wake up to your coos, your little fingers grabbing at my face, or you making noises to try to engage your dad. It's so sweet.

You still have no interest in baby food or formula, though you show a lot of interest in food. A few weeks ago I decided that maybe you were interested in our food in particular, so I gave you a bite of my oatmeal, and you ate about 5 bites before you were done. At lunch I let you have a little bit of the crust from my sandwhich and you liked that too. You only have 2 little teeth, just above the surface on the bottom, so you just kind of gum away at whatever I give you. I started off with half dime-sized pieces of bread, but now I will rip off a a long (but thin) strip of the bread crust for you to hold and take little bites of. At the beginning of the month you struggled with letting go of the food once it reached your mouth: you would put it up to your mouth, bite it, and then pull it away. But now you're getting the hang of it and actually eating. You've had the raking reflex for a bit but your pinching reflex is getting so much better. Last week we had pancakes, and after feeding you several bites, I just ripped up a bunch of little pieces onto your tray and let you feed yourself. It was glorious!

To date, you have eaten oatmeal, bagels, bread, graham crackers, yogurt, saltines, cheese its (in a desperate moment at the doctor's office), rice, refried beans, chicken, penne pasta, pancakes and some of my smoothies.

You've refused applesauce, beef, and cooked carrots, so not all "big people food" is a hit with you. But almost everything that you like has zero nutritional value and is just carbs. Sigh. But at least, at this age, you are just learning how to eat and still getting all of your nutrition from momma.

You love to look in the mirror and get the baby! You get so excited, bounce up and down, and flail your arms and legs like crazy.

You also love to "talk" with your dad right now. If he walks into the room and doesn't acknowledge you (or even if he does), you will go "Aaa! Da! Ehh!" to him until he responds. And then you go back and forth until one of you gives up. You only play this game with him. If he is holding you and I walk into the room you have no interest in yelling at me. But I'm not offended, because when I walk in the room you realize that I'm not holding you, and often start yelling and flinging yourself towards me.

So basically, in your ideal situation, I'm holding you and dad is talking to you.

Your previously sparse hair is finally starting to come in. It's light brown, soft and fluffy. Actually, when you get out of the bathtub is is sticking up in every direction, and your dad will spend the rest of the night calling you fuzz head. It's sweet, but a little crazy looking.

Happy 8 months little fuzz head. We love you.

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Up Close

Sometimes when I'm taking a picture of the kids, and they are being relatively still, I can't resist stepping in and getting a reeeeeally close shot. Like a "this is what I see a split second before I'm kissing those cheeks" shot. They're my favorite.

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Dear Jayce

Dear Jayce,

I think you should know, and you might already know this, but you totally have my heart.

Yesterday as we were playing, you stopped and said, "Mom, know how much I love you?"

Then you put your hand down by your foot and counted as you moved your hand up your body until you reached the top of your head.

"I love you one, two, three, four, five, six!!" Then you jumped up and down and declared, "I love you six pounds!!!"

I love you six pounds too, buddy.

Last week we made mini-volcanos. At one point you said, "Mom, where's my camera? I need to get a picture of my volcano." I almost wasn't fast enough with my own camera to get a picture of you getting a picture of your volcano. It's a good thing I keep it handy for instances such as this.

Did you know that I collect little post it notes about you during the day? I write down the funny little things that you say and do so that I'll remember the details to tell your dad. Some make it to the blog as well.

Like before your nap yesterday, we were reading Dr Seuss' Hop on Pop. I would read a line and then you would repeat it. At one point you sighed, and said, "Mom, this one is too trickery."

You sneezed a minute later, and after I said "Bless you," as I always do, you spun around and said, "Mom! Thank you for saying bless you!" and then went back to playing.

As I warmed your hot dog up at lunch time you declared, "Mom, hot dogs are hot when you put them in the microphone, just like lava." (This took me a second to decode.) "Ooo, they're hot when you put them in the microWAVE?" "Yeah!!"

Yes Jayce, when you put hot dogs in the microwave, they're hot just like lava.

These little things make me smile throughout each day.

I unpacked your backpack as you were eating lunch, and pulled out a stick with a penny attached to the end. You guys must have been discussing the presidents with Presidents Day coming up. I held it up and asked who it was.

You: Ghandi.

Me: What?

Ghandi.

Ummmm...well no, it's Abe Lincoln.

(Very long pause, as I pondered you learning about Ghandi at school, who I'm not opposed to, but surprised that this falls into 3 year old curriculum. I'm also a little surprised that you remember the name "Ghandi" in the first place.)

Have you been talking about Ghandi at your school?

You, looking frustrated, and holding up your gogurt: No Mom, Gawndy Mawndy!

I realize, suddenly, that you have been playing a little game we play every day with your yogurt. Ever since we got Phineas and Ferb gogurt, and one of the flavors was Perry Berry, we make up silly rhyming names for your yogurt each day. Boorly Moorly, Heebee Deebee, anything silly that rhymes.

Me: Did you know that Ghandi is the name of a real man?

You: Umm, I'll tell you later. (Which is how you shut down a conversation.)

It was only a coincidence that your made up "silly name" is the name of a historic Indian leader made famous through non-violent forms of protest. I doubt you talked about that among your discussions of Presidents Day.

That same day, a contractor was coming over, which I told you about ahead of time since you don't really like when strangers come to our house. You declared,

"I'm going to tell him, 'My name is Jayce Andrew Keith, and I'm chewing gum.'" You were chewing gum, at the time.

He ended up coming while we were eating dinner, and when he knocked on the door, you said, "Aww, now I can't tell him I'm chewing gum." You didn't end up introducing yourself at all, now that the gum part of the introduction had been removed.

You are everything that I wanted in a son, and I'm so glad that I get to spend each day with you. I love you.

Mom

Linking to Miscellaneous Mondays and Casey Leigh.

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Miscellaneous: Sick, Birchbox, and Valentines

1.) My last few weeks have been filled with poor sick kids. I actually called the doctor's office 6 times in 7 days, and one of those days I called twice. It's been an uphill battle to get these kids healthy, but we finally did it!! I am pretending like it is a coincidence that things started to get much better once the weather took a turn for the worse. Please tell me I'm not the only parent whose kids get super sick when it turns unseasonably warm in February?

I went to get my camera to take a picture of the "half pike" that Jayce had constructed from our ottoman. Once Jayce realized that I wasn't sitting behind him, he immediately got up to come lay across my lap. It was that kind of week, LOTS of snuggling.

It took 3 different antibiotics to get Jayce healthy. The second one tasted so bad that he literally threw up when he put it in his mouth. I wanted to comfort him, but it was one of those medications that you take forever, so I was thinking, but did not say aloud, "Don't worry buddy. You only have to take that one 19 more times!" This was also the first time that he has ever vomited, so as we were cleaning him up and reassuring him that it was okay, he was like, "Mom, what is that stuff?!" Poor guy, I think the vomit freaked him out more than anything else. Luckily 3 days later we switched to a new, less nasty medicine, and it did the trick. Or maybe it was the temperature plunge down to the teens. Either way, he's better.

2.) I asked for and received a 3 month subscription to Birchbox for Christmas. And let me tell you, it's amazing.

Basically, if you're a girl, you'll want it. For $10 per month, you get a half a dozen "delux samples" of beauty products: makeup, skincare, hair care, etc, with the option to buy the full sized version. Some of the things I could afford, some I could not, and I like the mix. I don't want to buy $50 hand cream, but I would like a month's supply of it, with 4 other little goodies, for $10!

And it is marketed perfectly. These people really know their audience. Last month when I opened my UPS box to find this perfect little cardboard box, with a pretty pink wrap, I was like,

Birchbox, I think I love you.

But I wanna know for sure.

Inside, the goodies were individually wrapped in tissue paper and ribbons. Seriously?! I felt like it was my birthday!

I did not take a picture of the products because I immediately started using them. I painted my thumbnail with the nail color, put on some hand cream, and then went to the bathroom to try the lipgloss. I love it. I just received my second one on Friday, this time full of skin care and hair products. Check it out here if interested. I'm going to stop now, because I feel like I sound like a salesman. :) But let me know if you get it and we can talk about how awesome it is, and I'll stop harassing my sister about it.

3.) I attempted to take "Valentine" pictures of the kids to send to family for the holiday, as I normally do. I haven't gotten around to printing the pictures yet, (sorry family!) because of the craziness of the past few weeks. But I didn't get a perfect picture anyway. I'm wondering if uncooperative Valentine pictures are as endearing as uncooperative Santa's lap pictures? What do you think? Which of these says, "I'm over it mom." better? Hmm...

Linking to Carissa at Miscellaneous Mondays.

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Cousins

While we were visiting in Louisville, Jayce and Hadley got some time to play together. There is almost 2 years between them, but are finally at the age where they can play together a bit. Jayce still needs to be reminded periodically to be careful, go slower and things like that since Hadley is obviously quite a bit smaller than he is, but they were really cute together.

At one point, Jayce wasn't listening and was put into time out on the steps. I went to the kitchen to set the timer, and when I came back, I discovered that Hadley had joined him on the steps. I imagine that I shouldn't have, but I snuck off to get my camera.

Jayce making Hadley give him a hug.

Being innocent.

Hadley and Hannah are just over a year apart in age, so next Christmas, these two girls will be the trouble-makers. Maybe I'll get a picture of them all in time out together. I imagine there will be more than one opportunity for that.

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Christmas With the Keiths

We celebrated Christmas with the Keiths a bit late this year, not until the 3rd week of January.  We were excited to get together to visit, exchange gifts, and also celebrate Chris' birthday, but we missed Aunt Erin!

Unfortunately, poor Hannah had a horrible weekend.  The day that we left town, a terrible storm had just come in.  It was 14 degrees out, the wind was horrendous, and blowing the snow around so much that it almost looked like smoke.  It was horrible to drive in, and the whole way out of Illinois and through Indiana there were wrecks all over the highway and dozens and dozens of abandoned cars on the side of the highway.  Actually it was a bit spooky.

I had just taken Hannah to the dr that morning with a terrible diaper rash that had just popped up that morning.  Unfortunately it accompanied the end of 2 weeks of constipation, so multiple times that day while we drove, Hannah would suddenly turn to me and start screaming as she tried to go to the bathroom.  Then her and I would get out in the below freezing temperatures, and run into some cold McDonalds or truck stop bathroom where she screamed while I tried to clean her up.  Not a fun trip.  Not at all.

The next night she started crying around 10:00 and didn't stop until about 2:30 am when Chris put her in the car and drove her around until she fell asleep.  This was the second time that night that we had to drive her around.  I had forgotten just how stressful it is to have a baby crying for 4+ hours with almost no breaks in between, and nothing would console her other than a trip in the car.  But eventually she went to sleep and we all slept hard that night.  (Well, in between waking up and being fed, which happened about 4 more times after 2:30.  Sigh.)

She and I slept in, and around 10 or so we emerged and opened presents.

It was great!  I love Christmas and was excited that we were able to get together for presents, even if it was a bit late.  I wasn't able to get as many pictures as I did at Mom's house, since for the most part we were the only people opening gifts, and I was opening mine, some of Hannah's and helping Jayce wrestle his toys from the boxes.  But I was still happy to get a few of the action.

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