It's Bumbo time

He has graduated to sitting in the Bumbo, only for a little at a time but he likes it.

Here is Daniel in it.

I love looking back at all of these. These two boys are mine, crazy.
Daniel had a lot less hair than Michael, hopefully that will be something that will help me recognize the baby pictures when I'm 80.
(Daniel) I feel like I'm starring at Michael.

After hours

At night at our house we party, with some major light effects.

The boys love when I turn off the lights in Michael's room and turn on this light thing on Michael's playmat and a light toy that plays music and displays an image on the ceiling. Of course Daniel also turns on every music playing toy in the room and in 2 minutes flat you feel like you're in a nut house.

They are the best of friends. Michael follows Daniel's every move. His head just turns all the time. Of course who can blame him since Daniel is just so sweet to him. Since Michael has been born everyone asks me "how is the older one with him?" When I say "great, super sweet", I hear a surprise "wow, really" like they expected to hear some story about finding batteries up Michael's nose or Daniel trying to sit on him or something. It has never happened. I would like to think we prepared him well or it could be his maturity or just plain LOVE. Yes, that must be it, plain sibling LOVE. Of course we know this is short lived because as soon as Michael high tails off with Daniel's Star Wars stuff it will get ugly.

Speaking of, these two are a hoot. I couldn't even get the settings on my camera corrected quick enough. Could be because I was holding 13lbs of pure marshmallow goodness in my arms.

They quote scenes and pretend to cut each other's limbs off. Yes, a very proud moment for any parent.
I'm a lonely girl in this house.
Here is the proof my child reads directions to Legos

President's day

Daniel was off of school yesterday. He is soooo good at occupying himself. Seriously, he plays on his own for hours. His imagination is incredible. His one request for the day "I want to stay in my pajamas all day mommy, I'm comfy cozy". No problem there. One less outfit to pick for the week.
He also tried out his brother's digs. He thought it was hilarious and made "goo, goo, gaga" sounds. Yes it seems like yesterday he was in a crib.

Yesterday:

Over 4.5 years ago

I can't believe this little guy is turning 5 years old next month!!! I don't know why but I'm having a reallyyyyyyyyyyy hard time with it. I keep getting emotional about it. That's 5 fingers, a whole hand....Where has the time gone?! Thank God I have the little one otherwise I would be a basket case. Don't say the word kindergarten because I may lose it. The day I registered him I cried in the car. It was pathetic.
We are looking forward to spending a great day with him, we have some fun things planned.

Weekend calm

Post bath baby. Don't make fun. The house is chilly, a lot of heat escapes from the head. :) Yes, it comes off in 10 minutes.  I I enjoy calling him Mr. Scrooge.

Live soundtrack. He sings Star Wars theme music ALL day long. These are his "guys". Don't get scared of all the decapitated guys. He takes them apart then puts them back together.  He also requests to sit on the coach, covered with a blanket and 'reads' the directions from all his Legos ships. He always has daddy put together all his Legos. Today, we exchanged a gift from a friend (he already had 2 of the same items) and I sat down with him to force him to do it. At the store he told me "I can't build it by myself, I have to be 5 years old". Nice try buddy.The stinker looked at the directions for 5 seconds and started building the darn thing himself. We couldn't believe it. Did I mention he's lazy. It was worth it because he was beaming with pride. "Look I built this all by myself".
Alright, Sunday nights are for Revenge and Downton Abbey and perhaps a glass of wine.

Force

This little guy always says to me "Mommy, may the force be with you....always". It was appropriate for his Vday present to be a costume of none other than....

Happy Valentine's Day

A heart shaped donut for breakfast. "Who is your sweetheart Daniel", "Mommy" Sweet years.

"Who is your sweetheart Michael", "Ahhgoooo"



My hearts!!!!!



3 month update and a bunch of rambles

Michael's monthly appointments are always off by a week or two because we were late once and now his shots need to be spaced out exactly 4 weeks or more apart.
We took him for his 3 month check up this Saturday. His stats: 13lbs 3 ounces (40%), 23.5 inches (70%).
We hope his colicky days are behind him because he has been such a happy baby. He is smiling and cooing up a storm. He is trying to sit up on his own all the time...I'll save all this for his 4 month update. You know since this is ground breaking news and all....

This weekend was crazy; dr. appointments, oil changes, hair cuts, visiting friends. I was exhausted by Sunday night. All things that need to be done but exhausting. I've been bad about getting the camera out to take pictures hence the 3 week old pictures I pulled up to add to this post below. Sad but true.

V-day is coming on Thursday and D is super excited. Well, not about the holiday, only about the fact that in his PM preschool they get to bring in something they love to share with their friends. To Daniel that doesn't mean sweet cards that he I addressed to all those darn kids that won't appreciate them, no, to Daniel it means getting to bring in a Star Wars ship to class to brag about. Isn't that was V day is all about?...to an almost 5 year old you darn right it is. He is counting down the days.

In other earth shattering news, I went to Zumba on Monday night and experienced some traumatic things. First of all, the mirrors had me depressed the entire time I was jumping around like a damn monkey. Next, I was so off beat that I think I entertained all the experienced attendees there. Finally, I was done with my jug of water in the 10 minutes of the warm-up. It was a long 50 minutes after that. It was a sad sight. Things were jiggling that should not have been jiggling. The instructor, who had strep was bouncing up and down like no big deal, and that was her with strep and feeling sick.
So, it's only fitting that today is Fat Tuesday and I ate an entire chocolate bar, because you see, I'm giving up chocolate for Lent and that my friends is the ultimate sacrifice for this chocolate loving gal. I hope 40 days of this gut wrenching extreme sacrifice will have less of my flesh being pulled by gravity. It's my last day to cram all the possible chocolate goodness into my mouth possible. If I seem grouchy in the next few posts, you just remember what I'm going through. :)

Hello baby!

Relationship status

Not sure he'll wear this in 10 years!

Funnies

Recap of more than a weekend

With the second baby the blog is not my priority but I do enjoy posting our little family's happenings from time to time. Life is more chaotic, more fun and more exhausting but I really wouldn't have it any other way, no matter how much I complain. I think all my co-workers now know the word colic, if they wanted to or not. :)

So, our weekend was fun and disappointing...49ers lost! BOOOO! I'm not a football fan at all but I wanted my hub's team to win. We prepared with sugar the day before "for good luck".

My teeth hurt looking at this.

12 inch cookie consumed in less than 2 days.

Sweetest cupcake known to man GONE

 My sister and family came over for the game. The girls chilled upstairs and the boys downstairs. That's when we realized with the remodeled kitchen we need another TV in the living room. I'm fine without it, it forces us NOT to watch tv as much. Out of sight, out of mind.

Someone played hookie from Polish school. It was Ry's idea to spend a Saturday together as a family. We haven't had that in a while. I think Daniel telling him Polish school is too long made daddy want to rescue the poor lad. I don't blame him.

 

Snow angel with a shovel. Classic.

Our command center was the kitchen and living room and legos were played non-stop.

Daddy is in charge of fixing many broken pieces.

This guy just watches. And yes his only pictures are in the swing. We do take him outta there but I do have to say it's a life saver!!!!

And I finally caught a picture of this!

The sweetest toothless grin EVER.

Guess who makes this peanut smile so

daddy!

on to more serious stuff....I about sh#$# a brick when I saw Daniel's art work from school.

 I knew my poor MIL would have a heart attack since she just practiced drawing a snowman with Daniel. I called her and we were just beside ourselves how lazy Daniel is with crafts, drawing, coloring, etc. The boy HATES art.
After school, I got the courage to ask him, "buddy why does your snowman look like this?"
His reply, "mommy he melted". Thank you Jesus, there is hope or this is modern art at it's best and we could be rich one day.

Baby long lashes, me LOVE

Daniel loves being scratched. He's like a damn cat. He wiggles into a comfy position and finds a sucker to just rub him.

And turns...I swear he'll need a litter box soon.

That's all folks.

We're ready

Things not to say

to a working mom (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/devon-corneal/what-not-to-say-to-a-working-mom_b_2566952.html)

Recently, Amy Shearn shared a list of things not to say to stay-at-home moms. She could have just cited anything Elizabeth Wurtzel has written in the past year, but that would have been too easy. Instead, Shearn came up with a list that was funny and clever and pointed in all the right ways. Which got me thinking about questions or comments I've heard about being a working mom. I don't think anyone sets out to be rude or judgmental, but I've been surprised at what well-meaning and generally thoughtful people say to mothers who aren't staying home full-time with their children. There's a subtle hostility or judgment that comes through in some of these statements that makes me wish that everyone would, every so often, think before they speak.


(Before anyone freaks out, I completely and totally support stay-at-home moms. They work. They work hard. Their choices are valid and awesome and please stop glaring at me. There are days I envy them more than you know.)

Can't you afford to stay home?

Let's assume for a minute that I can't. Let's imagine I work to help pay the mortgage and buy groceries and send our kids to college. Where does this conversation go now? Awkward, right? Next thing you know, I'm going to be asking you how much your husband earns so you can stay home. Let's agree not to go there.

Then let's say I can afford to stay home. The question assumes the reason I work is entirely financial. Which is part of it, to be sure. If I could make money watching bad reality TV and doing yoga all day, I would. Since I can't, I work at a more traditional job -- but it's not all about the money. I value my education and the years I've devoted to my career. I think it is good for our boys to see me working outside our home so they know that a woman isn't confined to being a wife and a mother. I also know that some day our kids will be off at college or started on careers of their own and I want to keep a foot in the working world so when that time comes, I'm not staring at a big gap in my resume that makes it harder for me to get a job. I also like the equality that exists in my marriage because both my husband and I put money in the bank. That's just me. But this particular question devalues all of those considerations and, in turn, my choices. Please don't do that.

I'd give anything to get away from my kids for an entire day.

If you really mean it, I'm happy to help you polish your resume. You can be away from your kids all day, every day! Of course, along with that "freedom" you'll feel guilty about being away from them and will wonder if they're ok because they're home with a babysitter or in day care. Going to work every morning and waving to my kid from the upstairs bathroom window isn't a spa day. It's sort of like doing a triathalon. You start each day with a morning plunge into icy water, getting everyone to school/work then do an an eight-hour bike ride, all topped off with a half-marathon of dinner, homework, baths and bedtime. During your bike ride not only will you be expected to pedal hard, you'll also have to take phone calls from the school, the babysitter, and the doctor, respond to birthday party invitations, take a quick side trip to grab supplies for an art project, order groceries and a new pair of jeans and remember to return library books because it all needs to get done RIGHT NOW. If you're lucky, there's some wine left over in the fridge.

I'd miss my child too much to be away from him all day.

I know. I completely understand. You get over it. Because you have to.


The problem with this country today is that not enough moms are home raising their children.

I know! I couldn't agree more! Oh, wait. You're not advocating for paid parental leave, flexible work schedules or telecommuting, are you? You're not picketing in support for working parents (because, let's face it, some dads would like to be able to spend more time with their kids too) so they can make good choices for their families, right? You just want more moms to stay home. It's possible those families would be better off living under a cloud of financial or psychological stress to adhere to a traditional view of families, but I'm not buying it. If I see one more comment about how dual-earner families are undermining the very fabric of society I will lose my mind. Last I checked, no one in my family had shot anyone, stolen anything, cheated on a test, run a red light, or even so much as littered. Of course, I've been working all morning, so things may have changed since breakfast.

Why did you have kids only to let someone else raise them?

People have said this to me. People have said this to my friends. It's a good thing that I didn't have the power to incinerate them with my laser beam eyes. If I hear it again, I'll refer you to item no. 1 for the reasons I might work outside of my home. And then I'll just ask you to be a TAD LESS JUDGMENTAL THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I had Little Dude because every fiber of my being wanted to be a mother and we felt like our family was incomplete without another person in it. Loving and raising a child is not incompatible with having support to do that. We are grateful and proud to have wonderful people who help us -- from family to friends to teachers and babysitters. But make no mistake, my husband and I are raising our kids. We aren't home every day, but we are a presence in our kids' lives at every moment.

I don't know how you do it. It must be so hard.

It is. I don't know how I do it. But I don't think that's because I work, I think it's because parenting is hard whether you stay at home or go off to the office. I don't know how any of us do it. It's glorious and rewarding and full of love and it is the hardest thing I've ever done. Balancing kids with anything else, whether a paying job or running a household or finding time to watch Honey Boo Boo, is nearly impossible.

You must be so organized to be able to balance everything.

I have a love/hate reaction to this statement. At first, I bask in the affirmation. I believe I am organized. Then I remember -- I am one set of lost keys away from a meltdown. I have mismatched socks, my kid went to school with jelly on his face and I haven't exercised in a week. I have piles of books and clothes and god knows what else in my bedroom. I forgot a conference call yesterday and lost the planetarium permission slip. I let something slide every day. There is no balance. Only carefully controlled chaos. Pretty much like everyone else's life.

There's always time to work later, these early years are so precious.

All the years are precious. And why don't people say this to fathers?

You look exhausted.

Gee! Thanks! Wanna give me a day at the spa? And then watch my kid for me so I can relax? No? Then let's just pretend we can't see the bags under my eyes.

At least you treasure every minute you have with your son.

Well, maybe not all of them. Because sometimes Little Dude is a monster and I get home at the witching hour, just in time to force him to eat his carrots, make him brush his teeth and go to bed. Which, as any parent will tell you, is just the most relaxing time of day. This is why I keep a chilled bottle of wine in the fridge. Despite that, of course, I do treasure my time with my kids, but I have a hard time believing that would be different if I were home more.

Don't you worry you're missing out?

Every day. But then my son runs into my arms when I pick him up from school and climbs into my bed in the morning to tell me I'm the "best mommy ever," and I know it's going to be ok.

Everyone makes their own decisions so let's be supportive of each other ladies.
Have a great weekend balancing it all. :)