Baby on the Way

There's a baby on the way! Just not my baby. :)

My little sister (aka Aunt Kerri) is 20 weeks pregnant with her & Matt's first child! Here she is at 17 1/2 weeks.


We are all thrilled. During the ultrasound yesterday, they found a very healthy baby with perfect measurements! And a baby who was not at all shy about showing off for the traditional gender keepsake picture.



My sweet little nephew is due November 19th. And we cannot wait! Every time he sees Aunt Kerri, Jacob asks her if the baby is out of her belly yet. He's very eager to meet his new cousin.

Yesterday, I said to Jacob, "I'm so excited that Kerri and Matt are going to have a baby boy, aren't you?"

Jacob: "Yes! Are they havin' it now?"

Me: "No, not yet."

Jacob: (sigh) "This is takin' FOREVER!"


Did I really post a picture of my nephew's crotch before I showed off his adorable face? Oops. Without further ado, here is the top half of the newest member of the family:


Precious.

I'm already daydreaming about watching the 3 boys play, laugh, and run around together. And fight and wrestle. And the pictures I'll take of the 3 of them, of course.

Hurry up and get here, November! We want to meet the newest member of the family. This is takin' forever!

Fathers

I did acknowledge and express my appreciation and love for my dad and Jeff on Father's Day. But since there was no blog post about it like there was on Mother's Day or last Father's Day, it appears that I did not.

Happy belated (only in the blogging world) Father's Day to all of the good daddies out there, but especially to...

...my dad, who, when I was a little girl,

was a frequent guest at my tea parties, played softball with me in the backyard, let me win races against him (but only by a small margin, so I thought I was really beating him), played his guitar and sang while my sister & I danced, instilled in me a love of music, attended my soccer games, helped give me a sense of responsibility and appreciation, and who managed to make me laugh and cry (in a sweet way) during the Father-Daughter dance at my wedding,



I love you, Dad. Thank you for all you've done for me these past 32 years. And thank you for being such a wonderful and awesome Pop Pop to the boys.




...amazing fathers (and grandfathers) who are no longer with us.



...my father-in-law, who also happens to be a great dad to Jeff

and Granddad to the boys.



...dads-to-be, like my brother-in-law, Matt, who I know will be an incredible father to his child. How do I know that? Because he's such an awesome uncle to the boys.

(Such an intense conversation...wonder what they were discussing?)




...and of course, the father of my two precious sons. Thank you for working hard so I can be at home with our babies.

Jacob and Alex would like to thank you for:

the tickles,


being silly,


wrestling with us,


playing with us in the pool,





and in the lake,



pushing us on the swings,



not minding when we wake you up,


having dance parties with us,


and all of the hugs,


and the kisses.





Thank you for loving us.




We love you too.


And we want to do everything you do.





I thought about searching for quotes about fathers, but instead, decided quotes from the boys about their daddy would make more sense.

From Jacob:

"I love you, Daddy."

"Daddy can do it. He can fix everything."

"Daddy has big muscles."

"Daddy can fix all the Transformers. Mommy can only fix Ratchet."

"If there's ever a monster in my room, Daddy will get it. Because he has powers."


From Alex:

"Da!!!"


From all of us:

You're the best daddy in the world.

The right amount of tired

True or False:

When a child is exhausted, they'll go to bed easily and sleep soundly for at least a consecutive 12 hours.

"True?"

[Insert obnoxious buzzing sound here.]

WRONG.

"But it stands to reason that a tired child would sleep well. After all, that's what I would do."

Well, what can I say...sometimes there's no room for reason when kids are involved.


Here are a few things parenting has taught me:

- Cuddling, yawning, delirious laughter, sleepy smiles, and drifting off peacefully = the good kind of sleepy

- Fussing, whining, grumpy moods, tantrums, and crying at the drop of a hat = the bad kind of sleepy

Often when the bad kind of sleepy occurs, it's due to being overtired. Overtired makes you take stock of what your child did that day that could have caused such a hair pulling experience for you when the evening hours roll around.
"Is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening again? Hmm, OK, it looks like he's had too much fun today. I'll just go ahead and jot that down and make sure "fun" isn't on the list for tomorrow's schedule."

An overtired child also usually means you can just go ahead and brace yourself for a crappy night. Sometimes it's crappy all night long, and other times just in the evening leading up to bedtime and/or while getting them to sleep.

What I'm trying to say is:

Tired = Good
Overtired = Very, very bad

Kids have to be just the right amount of tired.


An example of overtired:

Heard of the Disney movie "Ratatouille"? Very cute flick about a rat who loves food and cooks wonderfully. And he's not just an amazing chef compared to other rats who may be trying to catch a break in the food industry- but an amazing chef by human standards.
He really is quite impressive.
Recently, I bought Jacob a "Ratatouille" book for $4 in a bin at Food Lion. (Those details are unnecessary, but I was excited to find such cheap books.) We were reading it before bed the other night, and I noticed Jacob's bottom lip was poking out. And not the fake, forced pouting either. He looked genuinely upset.
Me: "What's wrong, bud?"
Jacob: "I want a rat who can cook food." Then his voice cracked as he said, "I really, really do." And he began crying.

How do you even respond to that?
I think I said something about buying one when they were on sale at Petsmart. Oh wait, that's not right- I think I told him there is no such thing as a rat who prepares gourmet dishes.

And another night at bedtime, Jacob & I were lying in his bed, discussing Spiderman.
Jacob: "I can't shoot webs."
While pausing briefly to ponder this devastating epiphany, I noticed his bottom lip beginning to tremble. In a very shaky voice, he said softly, "Dat makes me cry."
And then he really did begin to cry. Actually, crying doesn't quite capture it. Sobbing- that's more like it.

After I was able to calm him down, he whispered, while tears still trickled down his cheeks, "I don't want anyone to know that I don't have super powers. Only you."

Um, yea...definitely overtired.


Sometimes on nights like these, kids may wake up periodically, crying for no reason. And when they're drifting off, they may begin crying WHILE sleeping. In your own state of exhaustion, you may find yourself tempted to reason with them and say, "You're just tired! If you go to sleep, then you'll feel better!"

Mm-hmm, good luck with that.

And I don't mean to alarm you, but sometimes an overtired child will assault you in their sleep. Jeff & I have been hit, kicked, and slapped while we were sleeping. Which is, as you can imagine, an awesome way to wake up.


Luckily, we also get to experience good tired around our house.


An example of good tired:

After dinner on the day of Jacob's birthday party, Alex, who had enjoyed an afternoon of guests, excitement, and lots of indoor & outdoor play with NO nap, climbed on my lap. He rested his head on my chest and began closing his eyes. I tried everything I could think of to keep him awake.
"Want to eat a snack?"
"Want to do a puzzle?"
"Want to draw?"
"Want to run around naked?"
"Want to play cars?"

I was being ignored. It wasn't until I asked, "Want to watch "Imagination Movers"?" ("Moo" is his absolute favorite show), that I saw a spark of energy. A small one, but still- it was something. 6:05 was just way too early for bedtime. My goal was to keep him awake until 7, which is still a good 2 hours before he usually falls asleep.
I took off his shirt, employing the trick "they" (those smart people) teach you to keep newborns awake when they need to eat instead of sleep. I plopped him on the couch, turned "Moo" on, and went back into the kitchen to clear the plates from the table.
At approximately 6:10, I saw Jeff peek into the family room and chuckle. This is what we saw:




Why the big smiles, Movers?



You let me down. No jazz hands allowed until you can keep my exhausted son awake for the duration of your show.

However, in true good tired form, Alex slept straight through the night until almost 7:30 a.m. the next morning.
Definitely good tired.



Today was such a busy and active day, and when Jacob didn't fall asleep in the car as he often does during late afternoon car trips, I worried that tonight would be a Bad Tired Experience.
But actually, it turned out to be a Good and Sweet Tired Experience.

Jacob: "Let's say the Lord's Prayer."
Me: "Do you know it?"
Jacob: "No. You do it."

So I did.

And at the end, Jacob said, "Amen!"

Jacob: "Let's prayer."
Me: "OK. Your turn."

And he assumed his typical adorable praying pose. Then he prayed.

"Dear God,

Thank you for this bootiful day.

And thank you for this cover.

And thanks for my red wall.

And thanks for my popsicle.

And thank you for Daddy.

And thank you for Mom.

And thank you for Hailey.

And thank you for Jacob and Alex.

And thank you for Jake and Judy*.

And thank you for Spiderman.

And thank you for my cars.

And thank you for "The Incredibles."

Amen."

Without a doubt, good, sweet, precious, and adorable tired.


I always treasure moments like this. And I'll be sure to remember them fondly the next time I find myself trying to reason with an overtired 4-year old.




*Jake & Judy are two of his preschool friends.

Birthday Boy

My oldest baby is now four years old.

Unbelievable.

We celebrated with a party on Saturday, but I tried to make his actual birthday a special day for him too.

While he was still sleeping, I baked blueberry muffins for breakfast. I was rewarded with a "Woohoo!" and a hug. He was especially pleased when I instantly transformed the regular ol' muffin into an exciting birthday muffin. Just by sticking a candle in it.


And naturally, we had to start his day with a "Happy Birthday to You" serenade.



After observing all of the excitement (and helping sing along), it wasn't surprising when Alex wanted his own birthday muffin. So Jacob & I serenaded him next and applauded when he blew out his own candle.



You can never blow out a candle just once in this house. So, we did it again. And somehow Jacob seemed even more excited. But maybe it was because of the cool crayon candle Nan bought for us.


Guess who also needed another turn?



Several days ago, I asked Nan if she & Pop Pop would mind watching Alex for a couple of hours while I took Jacob to see a movie on his birthday. Since she was going to be within minutes of our house that morning and on our street late that afternoon, it made sense for her to take Alex during that time frame. Which meant Jacob & I had the day to ourselves, and I could give the birthday boy my undivided attention. And Alex could have his own special day of fun, also receiving undivided attention from doting grandparents.

Perfect.

After running a couple of errands that morning- I know, not a very exciting start to the birthday, but he did get a Transformers t-shirt and bouncy ball out of it at Old Navy (where I caught him peeking inside a mannequin's bikini bottom...twice)- we headed home for lunch. We had just enough time to eat together before heading to the movie. I suggested a picnic lunch out in our yard, and Jacob enthusiastically agreed. His birthday lunch request? A peanut butter & jelly sandwich. It's his current favorite.



After a few bites, Jacob looked at me and said, "Let's go inside and eat. It's hot outside."
Oh well. It was worth a shot. Maybe I should try the picnic idea when there's a nice, shady tree to sit under and we aren't directly in the sun in almost 90 degree weather.

As soon as we finished lunch, it was time to head to the theater. We were seeing "Up", a movie my brother, the film buff, had just seen and informed us was very good. He also predicted it would make me cry.
Jeff had the wonderful (and very sweet) idea of taking a half day off from work and spending the afternoon with us. After all, it's not every day that your son turns four years old. And he & I have been feeling a little emotional about it.
So, he met us at the theater. Jacob stared in awe at the giant display of popcorn.
Like father, like son.


(Yes, I did bring my camera inside the theater. I'm that ridiculous with picture taking.)

"Mommy, look! Dey have M&M's!!" (And yes, the birthday boy got M&M's of his own.)


We were so happy Daddy joined us.


Which one to devour first? They both look equally delicious.


Mmmm...popcorn. He ate every last piece and was like a scavenger at the end, digging around looking for any remaining popcorn particles.



Jacob excitedly announced, "The show's startin'!"


Before the previews began, Jacob informed me (with a mouth full of popcorn), "You have to be quiet when the movie's on."
Me: "So I can't talk?"
Jacob: "No talkin'."
Me: "What if I want to laugh?"
Jacob: "No."
Me: "But what if I need to burp or sneeze?"
Jacob: very seriously, "You can't do it."

He dropped the stern facade during the movie, though, and did not heed his own advice. It was cute listening to his occasional commentary on the movie, and he wasn't at all disruptive to the other people in the theater. He did great and really enjoyed the show. So did Jeff & I. And Uncle Chris was right- it made me cry. Twice!

After we managed to tear him away from the arcade games in the theater's lobby, we were sidetracked by the fountain. Mommy gave him a few pennies to toss in in exchange for pictures with us. I wonder if everyone thought we were tourists. "Quick, honey, let's get a picture in front of this fountain and parking lot so everyone back home can see we went to a mall."
Whatever. We've already established that I'm a picture taking nerd.





When we got back home, we had enough time to relax and play with new birthday toys around the house for a little while before Nan & Pop Pop dropped off the 4th member of our family. After Jeff & the boys acted as Transformers (Jacob was Optimus Prime, Jeff was Megatron, and Alex was Ratchet), we decided to take a family trip to our neighborhood's pool.



"I wonder what will happen if I walk backwards..."


"I fall on my butt. Good to know. I'll keep doing it then."












"This is the life."


It was a very fun day.

Several times since his party, Jacob has told me, "I love bein' four!"

And I loved when he was born...


when he was a baby...






when he was one...





and two...





and three.





And as bittersweet and emotional as it is, I also love that he's four.




It's all going by way too fast, but there is plenty to enjoy about having a four year old. For instance:

Watching his personality, interests, talents, and skills grow and develop with him.

Our cute, funny, educational, silly, sweet, and serious conversations.

Watching him be a big brother.

His terrific sense of humor.

Having him tell me, "I gonna marry you soon" and "I love you, Mommy. Everybody loves you."

His stellar hugs.

When he picks flowers for me.

When he plays with my hair and says, "I wish I had a flower to put in it."

When he says, "Mommy, I wanna 'nuggle with you."

And at any age, watching him smile, laugh, love, play, and just be happy.


Sometimes when we're "'nuggling", I'll tell him, "You're Mommy's baby."
Jacob: "No I not. I a big boy."

Impossible for him to understand that he'll always, always be my baby.

I love you, buddy. I love the sweet, polite, sensitive, loving, playful, bright, talented, and affectionate little boy you are. I just love YOU.

Happy 4th Birthday to my baby...I mean, big boy!