This is My Forties

First you ask baby to get blankie because it needs a bath.  They will be all excited at first... they're actually allowed to put this item in the washer?! :O  Say it ain't so!!  Have baby place it into washer and close door.  Throw a party, high fives!!  Great job!!  WOOOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!  They can even dump in the soap and push the button.  All fun and games.  They love everything until the water starts.  Then the realization hits them... wait a minute... NOOOOO!!!  Is it done yet?  Now?  How about now?  Why nooooooooot?! If you have a top loader, you're in luck!  They'll forget it's there sooner than you realize.  If you have a front loader... in the kitchen... with a see-through window (like me)... be ready for meltdowns with hugs, kisses, cookies, and a line like "I know, sweetie but your blankie needs a bath! it's all dirty too! it needs a bath like you do".  Hug, talk, kiss, talk, hug, hug, talk, talk, and repeat, and repeat, and repeat.  Usuall

Anyone who has a child just beginning to talk knows that repetitive conversations are common, routine, highly predictable, and flippin' adorable. I think this "day in the life" would be best served if I go through our daily conversations for all of you. Before you realize, all those baby convos slowly form into intelligent discussions.  However, you were so inundated with the repetition that you didn't catch the transformation. So this shall serve as a record! Tristan's day begins around 7am as well, seeing as we all need to take Noah to the bus stop :) Most days he wakes up around 6:30 with Noah, heads over to the playroom, and watches a movie while munching on cereal (which he seldom finishes before we come home from the bus stop). All this is accomplished without parental intervention (I love having an independent 6yr old!). As long as there's an interesting movie playing I won't hear a whine or scream from Tristan until after Noah leaves for

Tristan's birthday fell on a Monday this year so we decided to celebrate on Sunday to allow Daddy to be included in on the fun :) Technically we spent all weekend sort of celebrating. Saturday we went to the park, Toys R Us, and then out for pizza. On Sunday Tristan opened his presents first thing in the morning and spent most of the day playing with them. He's a pretty simple guy and only wanted to play outside or watch movies for his special day. Noah watched "Journey to the Center of the Earth" with us so once Tris got up from his nap they were hunting dinosaurs and destroying man-eating plants together all while trying to build their boat to make it home. Tristan was a little confused, maybe a tad scared, but mostly he was having a good time with his big brother. We built a tee-pee like clubhouse around the madrono tree, which all the boys loved. Once they had enough outside time we went to our ice cream place where he ordered "fwabey eye keem&q

I've been wanting to do these "day in the life" posts for months now! I'm sure everyone will enjoy the "series"... here goes. Brennan's day begins at around 7am. Usually he wakes up on his own to the sound of various wails and/or giggles emanating from the playroom. He is always happy when he wakes up. Right now he has a bit of a cold and is mercilessly fighting to cut two of his 2yr old molars, but still he is cheerful... until a short time after his feet touch the floor. He knows we're going to take Noah to the bus stop, and he will cry about how we're not leaving until we actually walk out the door. With excited anticipation he is eager to jog along to our destination less than a block away. He's fine walking by himself holding my hand until someone else shows up. Then it's whine and hug the Momma time, which is very normal for a child his age (16 months). I usually end up having to carry him back until we make it to our s

While I was present for my own births there's most definitely something to be said for bearing witness to a natural childbirth. Having gone through the same thing myself (and the fact that V's my sister) I felt all her pain, but I also knew the outcome and I was excited for her. Labor is one of the most difficult but rewarding experiences a woman can go through. Not for the reason you think, which is "my baby is here oh yay ::sob sob::"... yes, the baby's arrival is a miraculous and splendid occurrence. I'm talking about the pain and euphoria of experiencing a natural birth. No pitocin, no epidural, no cervadil, no demerol... just your own organic blend of natural hormones and chemicals ;) It starts off perfectly manageable, sort of scary... you wonder how much worse it will get and try to convince yourself not to be scared. I already knew how bad it was going to get, so with Brennan I tried to nap when I could and postpone the inevitable until I was