Trick-or-Treat!

Happy Halloween!

Love, The M Family

Guest Post from Baby B #3

Hiya! How's it going?

I'm good. I am getting very, very big. I am 24 inches long (80th percentile) and weigh 17 lbs. (90th percentile). Yesterday I went to see the doctor. She was great, but I didn't like the nurse so much. She gave me four shots and some nasty vaccine that I had to drink. It was gross and I made silly faces the whole time I was drinking it. She kept singing a song while I was wailing, and it was driving mommy nuts.

I talk a lot these days. Sometimes I talk when I'm not supposed to. Like, in the middle of the night, for instance. I can't help it - sometimes I just think all these great thinks and I just have to share them with someone. And, since mommy still lets me sleep in her room, I feel like she and daddy should know first. I also like to talk when I am eating. I'll eat for a couple seconds, then pull back, smile at mommy, say something important, and then go right back to eating. Mommy finds this very amusing, so I keep doing it.

Let's see...what else, what else? Oh, yeah, guess what I did today? Check out the picture below and see if you can figure out why I am smiling? (I'll give you a hint: the rest went all down mommy's back! So funny!) I am wearing Christmas jammies because I am going to outgrow them by the actual Christmas season. He he he :)

Have a great day!

Love, Baby B

Four months ago...

Check out those chunker band-aided, boo-booed baby thighs. Poor lil man.

...Baby B was one day old. I can't wrap my mind around that. Four months? That's a third of a year. Sheesh. It is beyond crazy how time just flies when you're a parent.


Baby B had his 4-month well baby check-up today + 4 vaccinations that didn't do either of us any good, well, besides prevent life threatening diseases and such. But, besides that, they had us both in tears. There is nothing sadder than an only-diapered baby, sobbing a lip-quivering cry as he looks you in the eyes, pleading, Why, mom? Why are doing this to me?! So, Baby B spent much of the past seven hours sleeping, and I've been staying up on the Infant Tylenol regimen every four hours. Bless his little heart.



To celebrate Baby B's 4-months, I will list our favorite nicknames for him...

Variations of his real name
Baby B (obviously)
Peanut
Peanutbutter
Little B
B
Bear
Little Bear
Big Man
Cutie Pie
Punkin Pie
Sweet Puh-tay-tuh


I call him Peanutbutter and Little Bear most often. B calls him B. Things might get confusing eventually since I refer to Big B as B in real life too.

Me soothing a sad Little Bear :(

Saturblogday

One more week of school before we get another mini-Fall Break. A lovely four day weekend. Then fifteen school days until Thanksgiving. WHERE HAS 2008 GONE?

I think because I spent the first half of the year waiting for the love-of-my-life to arrive, and then the second half of the year falling head-over-heels in love with him, the days have just slipped away. Fortunately, I really do feel like I enjoy every day immensely and can rest easy at night knowing that I have lived each day to its fullest (and because Baby B is snoozling peacefully next to me in his pack-n-play. Did I just admit that? Yes, he's still sleeping in our room...sometimes in bed with us. Did I just admit that? Don't be mad. He will eventually sleep in his very own crib, and there's no possible way I'd ever roll over on him because I am THE lightest sleeper ever. His breath is enough to awake me. Not kidding.)

Here are some things making me happy this Saturday...

Baby B wearing his silly goose hat.

This GORGEOUS necklace that my dear husband gave me for Sweetest Day. LOVE IT with a capital L-O-V-E.

Sophie's Halloween cuteness.

Sleeping Baby B in my arms. Baby B as the Great Pumpkin.

Now you can have a Happy Saturday, too!

Everybody's Working for the Weekend...

Hello, hello!

It's Wednesday which means that tomorrow is Thursday, and we are another day closer to the weekend. (Start humming Loverboy's '80s hit here - everybody's working for the weekend...). I'm sooooo ready for Saturday. Or Friday at 11:41am to be more specific.

I finished my door. Whatcha think? The kids don't have a clue what Wicked is, but, ya know, this was more about my passion for it than anything. And at least I didn't have to relate it to Core Content (ugh, gag me with a spoon), or create a rubric for it. The word "Wickedly" is bedazzled with green glitter - a skill I perfected making banners as an ADPi. (Now B's gagging). The kids are all making their best "spooky" face in the pictures. Adorable. They judge tomorrow. There are three categories - most creative, cutest, and spookiest. I'll let you know if a ribbon winds up next to my door. Not that I want to win or anything...

The Fall Festival is Friday night, and B is going to bring Baby B up in his Great Pumpkin costume. B said he wishes there was an adult-sized pumpkin costume because he would totally wear it. Does that make him a great dad or a big nerd??? (He he he. Just kidding, B. I love ya.)

Also, check out my good friend Katie's engagement photos. If you scroll down to October 20th you'll see her and her fiance, Scott. Her photographer is incredible. Can't wait for the wedding!!!

And, lastly, here's the big man in his exersaucer. SO CUTE. I'm kinda obsessed with him.

How come...

...the minute I sit down to nurse/pump my cell phone rings? And it's on the table. Across the room.

...when Baby B is bawling in the backseat of the car, I catch every gosh darn traffic light within a mile of our house? And it seems like they've multiplied and increased the amount of wait time between lights.

...strangers feel obligated to profess how "well fed" Baby B is? Or refer to him as a "porker." This, by the way, in unacceptable and it makes me want to nicely comment on how ample your butt is. But I'll mean it nicely. I promise.

...strangers feel the need to touch Baby B? ON THE FACE. IT'S FLU SEASON, PEOPLE! Keep your hands to yourself. Or, if you must touch, stick with his Robeez-covered toes.

...there are always bottles to be cleaned? Didn't I just clean them? I nurse, for goodness sake, where do they come from?!

...I suddenly find every baby bodily function very endearing? Buuuuuurp! Awwwww! Toooooot! Awwwww! Spit up all over the outfit I just changed you into. Awwwww!

...there's no other people in the world I'd rather spend time with than my boys?

Insert your own title here...

Ah, Saturday, how I love thee...

Isn't it amazing how the weekend flies by? It's already 4:11pm and I just know that Monday morning will be here before I know it.

I haven't blogged much about teaching, so I'll let this be an educational update. This coming week is my first week of KTIP observations. This is the internship program I have to complete as a first year teacher. It's very similar to the practicum observations from undergrad in that I have to create a mammoth portfolio, write super-detailed-very-useless lesson plans (because no teacher would ever have enough time to create these for everything she taught), and be observed by everyone but the Dalai Lama in order to obtain my official certification. So, I will be observed this week by my resource teacher and principal, and then next week by the state appointed advisor. No pressure or anything.

This week is also the Halloween Decorating Contest and Fall Festival at our school. The pumpkin decorating contest is next week. All I can think about is winning this stupid door decorating contest, though, as if my teaching credibility depends on it. Like my heart starts racing. Not even kidding. The whole family is on it, trying to help me think of ideas that are better than the rumors I've already heard circulating. Let's just say the third grade teachers are going all political on us, thinking up creative stuff like Barack Oooobama and Sarah Ghoulin. Too bad my kindergarteners probably don't even recognize the history being made this election year. I'm planning on teaching about it on their level the week before November 4th by reading them books like LaRue for Mayor and Duck for President. We'll also vote for president in our class and I'll encourage them to go to the polls with their parents to vote as well.

Anyway, back to the door. After seeing my most favorite musical ever this past winter (twice, yes I saw it TWICE, and I would see it again and again and again), I think I might decorate my door with this phrase: Mrs. M's class is WICKEDLY smart or something to that effect with the famous image in the background. (Credit to my dad on this idea!) I'll show you the finished product once it's completed. If you have a better idea, I'd love to hear it. MUST WIN is my mantra. And I'll do what it takes.

Baby B is still the cutest, most sweetest child ever - if you didn't already get that from the adorable video of him laughing that I posted. If you need further proof, see pics below. Oh, and he's 16 weeks old now. That means his official four month birthday is only days away. Sigh. Time fliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiies.

Have a great weekend!

Junk Email Rant

Oh. My. Gosh. I cannot stand junkmail/spam/inifinite amount of Viagra offers.

Seriously, my gmail spam filter has 410 junk emails. I go through them tri-monthly to make sure a real email hasn't accidently been sent to the wrong folder, and sometimes for pure amusement. I never open these emails for fear they will demonize my computer and cast spells on anything technological within 10 feet of my router, but the subject lines usually offer enough information to diffuse any interest I might have in viewing them. For instance...

Joetta Kate, whoever you may be, I am not interested in 80% off of Viagra. I am a woman. And, I may be frugal, but I have to draw the line somewhere when it comes to sales. Maybe if you were offering double ECBs* I might be interested. (Totally kidding.) Also, you should be in touch with Vanessa Dolley and Jazmin Lorna who are also in the erectile dysfunction market. Please take me off of your mailing list.

Next, Willia Wesley, I have two degrees already and am not interested in getting a third one via your money-making scam offering degrees based on work experience. You can't be running a legal operation. And I really doubt your academic achievements when you spell dip1oma using the number 1 as an l. Go back to school.

Here's a good one - Bernardina Lakiesha, I DO NOT WANT A ROLEX. Not from you, not from Salina Thao, not from Kathy Lydia. Who are you people and what name generator are you using to come up with these awful names? At least pick one that gives you a normal sounding last name. Come on, Bernardina Lakiesha, really?

Huntoon, I, again, am female and am quite offended you keep sending me mail regarding ridiculously attractive girls.

Give. Me. A. Break. Do people actually open and read these emails?! Ugh!

*ECBs are Extra Care Bucks offered on CVS purchases. If you have any interest in learning to CVS, then check out MoneySavingMom.

Baby B laughs!

We're crazy like that...

So, Saturday night, at about 10:30pm, B decided to see what was hiding beneath the carpet in the dining room. Shocker! There was hardwood. Our home was built during the mid '50s so this is no huge surprise. Now, we're not the type of people who can just acknowledge the hardwood and let it go at that. Oh no, we're the type of people that decide to rip up the entire slab of carpet while watching Tina Fey pull off a heckuva Sarah Palin impersonation at the same time.

So, now our dining room looks like this:Don't you love seeing what other people's houses look like on the inside? If your a blog stalker, like me, or just nosy in general (also like me) then you're all over this post. I'm such a nerd, but you know you do it to. It's like seeing someone's house helps me understand them so much better. If you want to envision what we're envisioning, then put this ceiling fan in place of the current light fixute and this table in place of the current table. Whatcha think? Do you feel like you know us better now?

We also plan to repaint (the blue was the result of a hasty decision while at Walmart when we first moved in). Isn't it funny how your tastes can change so quickly?

Anyhooooo....here's Baby B checking out the fuzzy lion that Papa M brought back from South Africa for him. He'll join Chuck and Peter as the latest addition to our growing stuffed animal clan. Have a Marvelous Monday!

The Golden Rule

B and I have been doing a little living room redecorating. We've come to the conclusion that there are no curtains containing the correct color comination and no pillows that will be patterened perfectly. We visited every home store within a 20 mile radius and have bickered relentlessly about what will accent the couch and current paint job the best.We went in and out of stores today emptyhanded, heaving sighs of dissapointment and frustration as we exited. Baby B, always along for the ride, finally threw up his hands after hours of searching and said, "Hold up! Everyone needs to settle down and get a Starbucks!"

We agreed - never the types to argue with a baby - and ended our day at 8-o-clock, sipping frothy hot cocoa despite the 70 degree weather outside. We chose a table inside, and I immediately noticed a young man sitting alone at the table to the right of us. He looked to about twenty, dressed in a collared shirt, khakis, and white, velcro shoes. About two dozen Polaroid pictures laid before him. It was obvious from the velcro shoes and his mannerisms that this man was unique.

I watched him out of the corner of my eye as we sat there talking. He continued to admire the pictures, and eventually retrieved a plastic baggie from his pocket and began to collect the pictures. He then put the baggie away, placing the pictures again before him, smiling all the while.

My mind began to wonder, and I saw this situation through a mother's eyes - something I do frequently now that Baby B is in our lives. This was someone's son, alone, on a Saturday night, sipping from an empty McAllister's plastic cup, admiring rows and rows of Polaroids. I teared up immediately, imagining my own son seeming so socially discarded. Did he have a family? Was he waiting on someone? What if someone forgot to pick him up?

Noticing that I was choking up, B asked what was wrong. I tilted my head in the man's direction and B , with a heart just as big as mine, turned to the man.

What are your pictures of? B asked.

The man, startled, smiled at us.

My friends, he replied.

A conversation pursued. He graduated from one of the local high schools and worked next to Starbucks at McAllisters. He drank his tea unsweetened. He told us his name. We admired his pictures. We promised to come for lunch and visit him. He said he would like that.

We were two steps outside of Starbucks when I began to sob. The thought of this man sitting with pictures of friends instead of actual friends just tore at my heart. As we rounded the corner to head towards the parking lot, I peered through the window and noticed that the teenagers sitting next to us had now sparked a conversation with our new friend. I would like to think that we somehow inspired this interaction.

Once Baby B was snuggled into his carseat and we were driving home, B turned to me and said, "Ya know, there's a lot of stuff that just doesn't matter."

"I know...like coordinating curtains and pillows?" I replied.

"Yup."

It was not charity that drove us tonight. It was humanity. Plain and simple.

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you."

Matthew 7:12

Way down yonder in the pumpkin patch...

Surprise! B took a half day yesterday and surprised me and Baby B with a trip to McGlassons Farm. It was unusually warm for an autumn day, but that didn't stop us from enjoying a carton of apple cider, strolling the fields in search of the perfect pumpkin, and snapping pictures like the budding photographers that we are.
Baby B was so consumed with anticipation that he wore himself right out and arrived at the pumpkin patch snoozling away. After posing for umpteen pictures, we settled him into the man pouch where he bounced happily, observing the colorful fall scenery. B finally found the perfect pumpkin, I grabbed a couple mini pumpkin gourds, and half gallon of cider and we called it a day. Good family fun for under $20 bucks.

B is determined to carve a pumpkin with Baby B's name on it this year. He even wants to buy a special pumpkin carving power tool too to assist him in this ambition. Last year he made a pumpkin with a ghost carved in it and it was pretty spectacular. I'll show you the finished product on the 31st.

I'm glad B enjoys all the fuss involved in carving a pumpkin since dealing with ooey gooey pumpkin guts really isn't my thing. However, I do love roasting pumpkin seeds and, of course, eating them. That's my contribution to the family tradition. Actually, my last memory of eating them was right after we found out we were preggers with Baby B. They probably contributed to the first five pounds I put on! He he he.

Adios! Enjoy your Saturday.

Fall Break, Baby!

Ah, Fall Break at last. I cannot even believe that it is already here. By the time we make it back to school (next Wednesday) it will be the middle of the month. Which means it will almost be Halloween. Which means I better get crackin' on being a better Hallweenie since my home is still lacking in the decorations department. After Baby B gets up from his nap today I might head out to Hobby Lobby and Old Time Pottery to see what I can find on the cheap. Oh, how I wish Garden Ridge wasn't located in Honyonka (pronounced hawn-yawn-ka), not to be confused with Timbuktu, Bufu, or East Jesus.

Speaking of naps, I'm having a tough time getting Baby B to take a solid afternoon nap for me. I'm not a big proponent of the crying-it-out-method, though I have let him go for 5 minutes before my nerves are grated to the nubs. I just can't stand to let my sweet boy go through such trauma. Anyway, he takes a wonderful AM nap for both the Nanas and for me, too, on the weekends. My mom and Kim both rock him to sleep. Whereas they have comfortable Lazy-Boy-esque rockers, I have the hand-me-down antique that proves difficult for anyone with butt bones to rock in for longer than three minutes. So I stand and bounce. And bounce. And bounce. And bounce. I could compete in the Olympic sport of the bounce and walk if there was such a thing.

So I bounced him to sleep today, walking and bouncing a mile and a half through my downstairs. Once asleep, I tiptoe daintily up our stairs, shuffle through the clothes on my bedroom floor (yep, still there!), and place him ever-so-delicately in the pack-n-play. Not quite to the bottom of the stairs, I hear a whimper. And then a cry. And then he is screaming How dare you lay me down, you terrible mother! and he has not even been laying down a full minute.

I pop that paci back in, snuggle a softie up to his face, his eyes roll back, and he is asleep again. And then he's awake before I can make it to the door. So I grab the paci, the softie, and him and take the whole mess of them to the ancient rocker where I sing such classics as How much is that doggie in the window?, Eidelweiss (sp?), and Oh, I went the animal fair! All the while he is grinning at me from beneath the paci and snuggling so deep into the crook of my arm that I fear he will suffocate. But, alas, he pops back out bearing that big, gummy grin. And I laugh at him because he's so doggone cute. The worst is when he starts talking to me through the paci and then it's all over because I can't resist cooing back to him.

So, after another failed attempt at laying him down, I opt for tummy sleeping (I know, I know - don't worry, I keep a good eye on him). And then he's prairie-doggin' it, poppin' that little head up so I can see his fuzzy little hair over the top of the pack-n-play. He looks like this, except he's now wailing because I've thoroughly ticked him off:

So, I pick him up again. Whisper sweet nothings in his ear and he finally decides it would now be a good time to fall asleep. I say multiples prayers as I exit, asking that he'll be asleep for good now and give me at least an hour to get things done. Like blogging and downloading pictures to the computer.

Well, what was supposed to be a post about all that I plan to accomplish over Fall Break, you have instead just read the saga that is naptime. Thanks for reading. And for all you mommies out there, please feel free to leave a comment about how you're a super mom and you have the most awesome afternoon nap techniques ever. Please share. I could use some encouragement.

We <3 Halloween!

Do y'all have a Halloween Express where you live? Well, if you do, how sorry do you feel for the poor guy that has to stand at the intersection wearing an 8-foot inflatable Frankenstein costume? Do you think when they hired him that was in the job description? I just wish they'd at least hired someone with a little more personality to entertain me while I'm waiting for the light to change. If I were going to spend four hours publicly humiliating myself, I might make things a little more interesting by, say, walking like an Egyptian or doing toe-touches or something. Nope, our local blow-up Frankenstein just stands there. Like a bump on a log, totally uninspiring people from venturing into the KMart parking lot to check out the overpriced Halloween costumes.

Baby B is going to be a The Great Pumpkin. He got an adorable costume from my Aunt Laurie before he was even born. Halloween is B's favorite holiday, so I try to make an effort to get into the spirit with him (Christmas is my favorite holiday, and I have no trouble going all out for it) . The other night we spent a good half hour you-tubing various videos reminiscent of our childhood. B's favorite was the Disney short film featuring Huey, Duey, and Luey. Do you remember it?

Here it is if you want to watch it. It's a pure classic. One of the best in my opinion.

Let me also say that I can't believe we're already talking Halloween. This time last year we were just about to get pregnant with Baby B. Crazy, huh? My what a difference a year makes...

In other news, I ordered Baby B's birth announcements! They should be here in the next two days. If I like you, maybe you'll get one ;)

PS. This is where we spent the weekend - at my mom and dad's Lake Home in Cumberland. Love it!

Happy 100 Days!

Beck is 100 days old today.

He continues to make my life better and better and better.

I just can't get enough of that gummy smile. Or that shock of spiky hair. Or those chunker cheekers. (If he were an ice cream flavor he would toatlly be Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey.) Or just his presence sleeping next to me in the pack-n-play. He is so gosh darn wonderful.

Happy 100 days, Baby B!

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Guest Post from Baby B #2

Hello again, Baby B here.

Life just continues to get more interesting every day. I loooooooooooooove playing with my hands. And dad's hands. And mom's hand. I am just figuring out how to use them to grab and taste things. My favorite things to taste are a) my hands and b) my softies. Mmmmm!

Since I am three months old now, I like to sit in my bumbo and wait for dad to come home from work. Dad thinks this is fun, too. He likes to crawl up the front stairs and try to surprise me. I am too amused by him looking like a turtle with his backpack on to be interested in much else. He's silly.

Mommy thought that maybe if we put our faces right next to each other we'll be able to find some similarities in our looks.....nope, I still look just like dad. Right down to the spiky hair.
Did you know that I love softies? This is me with like six of them. I'm a snuggler.

Have a great Wednesday!