Ready or Not... Here We Come!

Tomorrow I'm doing it. I'm throwing in the towel, er... diaper, and giving my little girl the push she needs to get serious about this potty thing. I'll be trying this tactic.

Will it work? I dunno. My strategy is to roll-up the area rug and cover the couch with plastic and give it a go. I'm hopeful that after a few days we might just be on course to a diaper-free 2 year old.

Or I might be declared insane.

Stay tuned. And say a few prayers for me if you think of it.

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10am update
She's gone on the potty two times. But she just peed on the floor and didn't really seem to notice (even though she was sitting in it). She seems excited about flushing the potty and getting pennys for her piggy bank. Currently she's sitting on the potty in the middle of living room watching Sesame Street.

Happy 2 Months, Kid.

It takes a real man to sit in a pink Bumbo seat.

I can just see him showing off his biceps. It's *flex* THIS WAY to the gun show, ladies.

Liam, Liam!

Lately that's what Natalie has affectionately taken to calling her little brother. The way she sings it out always makes me smile and I've taken to saying his name that way too. I can imagine that if we keep it up, it could make for a bit of confusion for him later on in life. Ah well...

I Feel Like Chicken Tonight

Does anyone remember the old Chicken Tonight commercials? Dude... where has that been in my brain all these years? All this useless information that I hold onto!?!? Why couldn't I remember how to do calculus or trig or speak Japanese? But a lousy Chicken Tonight commercial? Save that one for posterity!

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, read this and watch the youtube commercial.

But I digress.

I'm trying a new chicken dish tonight called Spatchcocked Chicken. I feel like I'm cussing someone out when I say it, so it HAS to be good, right? We'll see. I'll keep you posted...

Update: The chicken was VERY good. I should have let it marinate for all day (as the recipe suggested). I might try a bottle marinade next time too. This was an excellent way to make a whole chicken!

Kids Clothing Exchange

If you know me at all you know I love a great bargain. And with two kids growing faster than I can shovel food in their faces, it's good to pay just a little for the clothes they wear. It lessens the pain when I see it go in the "outgrown" bag. This weekend is a semi-annual sale that I look forward to to stock up on quality kids clothes for a fraction of the price.

If you live in the area, you should definitely check it out!

Fingerpainting

What's the price of a nap around my house these days? Waking up to find that your toddler has "helped you out" by partially removing her diaper. Add to that the lovely discovery that she's smeared the poop FROM her diaper on herself and the rest of the crib and you've got one BIG exciting time right right as you should be preparing dinner.

Fun.

8 Weeks

Liam will be 8 weeks tomorrow. In some ways it seems like he's been here forever. He's sleeping 5-7 hour stretches at night (I'm amazed, really), only cries when he wants to be held a little or is hungry and is SO easy to take out. Figuring out how to get out of the house with BOTH kids is still a feat, but one that I'm getting a LITTLE better at as time goes one.



I snapped some pictures of him last Friday and then today with our sitter, Jody. He's SO content and it has me wondering just WHAT sort of personality this little guy is going to have.

He's still big. I think I might actually move to size 3 diapers at night because we've had some explosions in the 2's. He's moved up to 6 oz bottles a few times a day and is about the same size that Natalie was when she was 6 months old. But it's really a good thing that he's holding his own in the size department. Just the other day I caught Natalie straddling him and saying "horsie". Watch out girl... he's going to be able to fight back pretty soon!

I Love Craigslist!

For the past several months I've been searching for a double jogging stroller that would fit our needs. I needed something taller than the single we have now and something that would be agile enough to jog with or take to the store. I'd researched and researched without a lot of luck. A friend of mine had recently turned me on to the Bumbleride stroller, but upon further investigation, I'd found that it cost a whopping $650 brand new.

Ummm.... not an option.

The twin (or double) also came out just last year so the chances of finding a used one on craigslist were slim to none. Still, this morning I thought I'd give it a try. I had $220 in gift money for Liam stashed away for just such a purchase.

God must have heard my stroller-woes.

Really, that's the only way I can fathom this would happen.

Because I found the stroller I was looking for (this years model even) listed under the wrong name in the title. (There was only one in the Baltimore/DC area.) After calling the owner I found out she had an extra.

?!?!?!?!?

I met her a couple hours later about 25 minutes from here and discovered that the stroller was in brand-new (PLASTIC STILL ON) condition AND she only wanted $300 for it. Dude... for $80 out of my pocket, I just walked away with a brand new $650 stroller. God is good...and I love Craigslist!

Happy Birthday to You.

It seems like just yesterday you weren't even here. And now you're two. Your favorite word is "no" and you like to read books "self" (by yourself). You purposely look away from the camera unless I'm acting like a complete fool to get you to laugh and you have started disliking things with skins (grapes, peas, lima beans). (Yes, you USED to like lima beans.)

When you rounded the corner in the kitchen yesterday morning to see the little kitchen set we got you for your birthday the first thing out of your mouth was "cool". Your dad and I are constantly looking at each other with amazement at the little girl you're becoming and the surprising things that come out of your mouth.

You and I went on a special "mommy-daughter birthday date" yesterday to Chik-Fil-A and then to the mall to ride the carousel. God must have been looking out for you because the cow was at Chik-Fil-A and you were completely enamoured. I'm not sure you ate much lunch, but you enjoyed the balloon they gave you and jumped endlessly on the seat yelling "cow cow!" across the restaurant.

We're so glad God gave you to us and pray fervently that He'll make you into an incredible woman who's so in love with Him in spite of our misfit parenting skills. We think you're the best little girl ever and cherish each day we have with you.

Lots of love,
Mom (& Dad)

We Survived!

Dad and Liam
Our time in Kansas City was so much fun. While I didn't get to meet up with all of the friends I had hoped to (lots of people were sick), I did get some much needed R&R. I took naps, slept in, didn't have to cook or clean and went shopping for myself. I also got to visit with my grandparents (Mommo & Poppo) and they got to see the kids for the first time. Ahhh.. with so much fun I debated on cancelling my return flight! =)

Poppo

Mommo

Natalie hamming it up in some new duds.
The flight home was an adventure, but much better than I anticipated. Much to my surprise, my mother was allowed to escort me on the plane since I had both kids. It was a good thing too, as I had the carseat, a roll-on bag, a diaper bag, a large purse and both kids. The plane was COMPLETELY full and there weren't two seats together so the flight attendant had to request that someone move. Thankfully, a stranger did and I sat next to a wonderful lady who understood the hazards of flying with a toddler.

You notice I don't mention "flying with an infant". That's because Liam was an angel and slept almost the entire way. Natalie, on the other hand, needed something new and exciting almost every 20 minutes. We ate, did playdough, read books, watched a DVD (for only 20 minutes), ate some more, did stickers, played with flashcards, played with the reading lights, tried the DVD again and probably ate some more. All while kicking the seat of the poor man in front of us.

Then we cried.

Okay... she's the only one that cried (and at the top of her lungs, mind you) but, fortunately, it was only the last 5 minutes or so of the flight. I was SO GLAD the flight wasn't any longer. I don't think I could have handled it without joining in the tear-fest myself.

A couple nice strangers helped carry my bag and carseat off the plane. However, I was dreading getting to baggage claim with everything by myself. You can imagine how shocked and grateful I was to see Kevin standing at the gate when I got off the plane. I was glad that in the midst of all of the post 9/11 security that he was allowed to come through and help me out.

Since we've been home, things have been fairly smooth. Liam moved into his own room and has been sleeping well. Last night was a record by far, though. He slept a cool 8.5 hours straight. I'm tired today, but only because I kept waking up to check on him. What a champ! And just in time for me to go back to work. Keep it up, kid... I expect great things out of you now. =)

We Made It!

Yesterday Liam, Natalie and I got on a plane (with my sister) and headed for Kansas City. I was so nervous that we were going to be one of "those families" that you see in the news that gets kicked off the plane because their child is throwing a tantrum. But, we only had ONE bout of screaming and even that only lasted for a minute or so. I had seriously been praying - so it was a big answer to prayer.

We're in KC for a week and then it's back to Baltimore with just ME as the chaperone for the kids. I was told it's a completely full flight, so hopefully I have a really nice (or at least understanding) person sitting next to me on the flight home.

On the agenda for the week in KC: meet up with a few KC friends, Schlitterbahn (if the weather warms up), a little shopping, sleeping in, visiting with my grandparents, naps and a whole lot of "Nana and Papa time" for Natalie and Liam.

Boy is next week going to be a wake up call. I might be crying along with Natalie on the way home!

I Dunno, But I Think They Might Be Blue

4 Weeks

Right around 3 weeks his eyes changed from ultra-dark gray to more blue. I think they might stay!

Eastern Shore

Friday we got back from a week at the Eastern shore. Kevin's parents had rented a place on the water and had kindly invited us to stay with them. So we packed up the many, many things you need to accommodate an almost two-year old and a newborn and we hit the road! We rented a small fishing boat and took it with us. Sadly, we had the boat almost ENTIRELY full of kiddo gear (pack n play, swing, etc). It's amazing how much STUFF kids actually require to survive. Ok, perhaps we bring the stuff for them so WE'LL survive. Hmm...

We stayed in a sleepy little town called Crisfield, MD which claims to be the "seafood capital of the world". There wasn't much to do in town, but there was plenty of crabbing to be done as well as general relaxing. While my life was pretty much the "usual routine" with the kids, I did get some much-needed naps and enjoyed the fruits of the daily crab runs. We ate some form of crab (steamed crabs, crab dip, crab cakes) everyday and enjoyed every bit of it. Unfortunately, Kevin and I had a catastrophe the night before we left for Crisfield and realized that our entire deep freezer had thawed because a strap had kept it from shutting properly. So we also had about 8lbs of shrimp and some additional crab to bring with us. Talk about a feast!

We caught blue crabs every single day, either from our boat or from the dock behind the rental house.

Getting ready to steam 'em.

The view from our backyard.
Thursday we took a boat trip over to Tangier Island (in Virginia).


This island is really remote (it took us an hour and fifteen minutes to get there) and only has a few cars. Most people get around on golf carts and are fisherman. I can't imagine how one would build a house on the island as there's no big commercial businesses like Home Depot, Walmart, etc. In fact, the grocery store is a little ma and pa general store. They have one police officer, no jail, one school for K-12th grade and no hospital or permanent doctor on the island. We took a golf cart tour around the island (which took all of 10-15 minutes) and in wondering what the kids did for fun I saw a few chucking rocks into a marshy area. I guess that answered my question!

Crab shanty's just off the main dock at Tangier Island. These are sloughing houses for soft shelled crabs.
Walking down a "street" on Tangier Island.

First Haircut

Natalie got her first haircut yesterday. Our neighbor, Debbie, owns a salon, and came over to do the honors. Be gone fem-mullet, be gone!
BEFORE/DURING:

AFTER:

She was QUITE the moving target!

2 Weeks

So yesterday I got an email from my grandma telling me that I didn't have any two week pictures of Liam available for viewing on the blog. This is the same grandma that used to tell me she was going to "jerk a knot in my tail" when I was bad growing up so I figured I ought to hop to it! =) These are for you, Mommo! Love you!

Is it just me or is he showing off for the ladies already? Look at that bicep!

At his appointment yesterday he was 9lbs even and had grown an inch and a half! He's going to be busting out of the newborn sizes pretty quickly it seems. He's a good baby really. I just need to figure out some sort of contraption that will keep him attached to me at all times (because he REALLY likes to eat). I started bottles already because I can only nurse him for 2 hours straight a couple times a day. I mean, seriously, kid! How am I supposed to get anything done???

Natalie was being SO sweet in this picture and wanting to "hold" baby Liam. About an hour before this picture though, she was throwing the biggest tantrum ever because I was holding Liam and not her. Ahhhh... the joys of being almost-two and realizing you're NOT the center of the universe!

YEAH! Pictures!

The pictures we had taken of Liam are back! If you'd like to see them, they're on the following website for the next week and a half: http://www.timelessandtreasured.com.

Click on "Enter Site". Then click on the "Clients" section. The password is just liam.

I thought Heather did an amazing job. SO hard to decide!!!

Survival Mode

Do you ever have those dreams - the ones where you're running (or trying to run) and it's like you're wading through sludge? You can barely move and you're being chased by something that is moving really, really fast?

Well, that's how it feels having a newborn around, I've decided. I remember feeling this way when Natalie was born but I had since chalked it off to being a "new mom" and not really knowing what to expect. I figured I'd have a system down once Liam got here and there'd be no big issues.

Ha!

I totally forgot how frequently they want to nurse. And how hard it is to keep them awake long enough to get in a good feeding and how many dirty diapers they make during a days time and just how POORLY I function with interrupted sleep. Ahh, but it's all coming back to me now!

So far, Liam has been a delightful baby. He only cries when he's hungry and sleeps most of the time. I mean, its the BEST possible situation. It's just balancing his irratic eating schedule with Natalie's schedule AND trying to get out the door to do a simple trip to Home Depot that should be considered an Olympic event. It took Kevin and me THREE HOURS to get out of the house on Saturday morning.

Did you catch that? TWO ADULTS, TWO KIDS...THREE HOURS!!!!

We had set out to bathe both kids before we got in the car, but we finally decided one kid bathed was "good enough" and just hit the road. We decided that was why you got 6 weeks maternity leave - because there's NO WAY you could get out of the house and go to work prior to that.

Natalie has taken well to sharing the limelight with the new poopy intruder. She's expectedly more clingy but hasn't tried to sabotage Liam.

Yet.

I'm glad she's adjusting well too, because in a way I feel bad making her share our attention. I know that in the long run having a sibling is a great, character-developing thing that makes life so much richer, etc. (It has mine!) But I'm sad that I can't pick Natalie up whenever she wants and snuggle her when she obviously sees that I'm "snuggling" (or nursing) baby Liam. I don't want her to feel like she's been replaced and is left with a too-tired Mom who's not quite as much fun as she used to be. Obviously I know that this time of sensitivity (on my part) and tiredness is fleeting and in another year I'll probably tell Kevin, "Hon, let's try to be like the Duggars!" (okay, well maybe not). Right now these thoughts are just what's on my mind. Hopefully Natalie won't be scarred for life. Maybe we should start a therapy fund now... =)

One Week Old

In attempts to be fair, we had professional pictures taken yesterday of Liam (a friend of ours took pictures of Natalie when she was 9 days old but has since moved away). I'm really excited to get them back!! In the meantime, I thought I'd try my hand at taking a few pictures with our camera at home. Let me tell you, it's much easier taking pictures of a newborn than it is taking pictures of a constantly-moving toddler. That being said, it was extremely difficult to get the shots I wanted and I now have newfound respect for photographers of children.

Out of the 150+ pictures I took, here are a few blog-worthy ones. Not pictured: the explosive poo stain on the curtains. I was expecting to wash the blankets and towels, but the curtains??? He's got quite the range!

Nana And Papa

My parents came in town the day after Liam was born and helped us out - watching the kids and doing our laundry and other odd jobs around the house. I can't express how much it meant to me to have the extra hands PLUS the moral support. Perhaps it was expressed in the snot running down my face as they left for the airport. Hopefully I'll see you guys soon...

Baby Liam comes home!

Well I've heard the natives are restless and wanting more pictures and video!



Yesterday Lauren and baby came home and spent the day recovering and relaxing.



We have a video here from when we were about to leave the hospital and Liam was in his new going-home outfit.

Lauren has settled right into her routine with the baby and is a like a pro returning to her sport. Its funny all of the things you forget about as the first kid grows out of certain stages. Kind of fun to have all of it come back to you with a new little one arriving in the house; all of the little things they do, how you had things set up before, and hearing all the little squeaky noises they make at this age, which you've all but forgotten about. Fun times!

Natalie is really bonding with her little brother. Just like with the kitty, she insists on holding the baby, and really seems to like him. (shew!)