Kid times the power of kid

My good friend Eileen has a hilarious saying. It goes something like this: "Two kids are more than double the work. It's the exponential factor. Kid times the power of kid."

So true, so true.

Carter turns 6 months old this week. I can hardly believe it and at the same time, I feel like I've been mothering two kids forever. I guess when you do something every day, all day, it's like dog years or something. Six months feels like 6 years.

Last weekend Seth was headed out on Saturday morning for a bike ride, and I was trying to do some baking and get the boys out the door to a friend's house for an Easter egg hunt. Seth brought Carter downstairs after a morning nap and placed him in the highchair in the kitchen. He smiled while I hustled around for about three minutes. And then he started crying. And then I buzzed by him and caught a whiff of a poopy diaper. I picked him up, slung him onto my hip and did a few more chores on my way up the stairs to change his diaper. When I set him down on the changing table, I realized the diaper had leaked all over him and me. I took him straight to the bathroom, holding him by his shoulders and ankles, trying hard not to get poop on anything else. Jasper waltzed into the bathroom with a muffin in hand (breaking a rule of no food upstairs, but it wasn't the time to go over rules). I asked him to help me lift Carter's bath seat into the tub. Jasper moved slowly and tried three times to hike it up over the tub wall. Then he slowly tells me he can't do it because he's holding a muffin. Trying to express my immediate needs for help, I told him to just put the darn thing down and put the seat in the tub.

He took his time, headed for the toilet (lid down, thank goodness), and set his muffin right on top of the toilet lid. Then, with great excitement he helped me get the seat in the tub where I promptly placed Carter for a hose-down. Jasper turned around, picked up the muffin, continued eating and watched me give his brother a bath.

There was a time in my life when I would have freaked out about the thought of using the toilet like the kitchen counter. It's still not appealing, but I see what kids do, and frankly, it's not the worst. There's the boogers he brings to me. And our loud conversations in the grocery store aisles about why it is inappropriate to have your hands down your pants in public -- for some reason, it gets other shoppers' attention when you say the word "penis" in the produce section. And we're potty training now, so you would be hard-pressed to surprise me when it comes to exactly where one might find pee in my house.

I love these boys. I love how much they crack me up. I love that they laugh at silly things, crave my attention, want me to play with them and snuggle close with sleepy eyes. I know it won't always be like that. But before you get the impression that I'm delusional, I should acknowledge that I am also sleep-deprived, tired of the never-ending loads of laundry, exhausted that just when you get the kitchen clean, it feels like time to cook another meal.

But I wouldn't change any of it. Even though kid times the power of kid is insane.

A few pics from recent days.

The bus is a movin'

Have you ever received a gift and then six months later realized you never sent a proper thank-you card? That's how I feel about this blog. It's there, I know it's there, I've been neglecting it, and the longer I don't touch it, the harder it gets to even think about it.

Deep breath in. Cleansing breath out. This is me releasing the guilt.

It's not as if you don't know what's going on. Most of you who stop by here are probably aware to some degree of the insanity that is our family's life. A 2 1/2 year old known as The Boy who's got the kind of independent streak that I can only pray will one day lead us to look back 40 years from now and think, "You know, it would have been hard to be this successful without being a strong-willed child." A nearly 5-month-old (The Bug) who is as sweet as can be with a smile that should be copyrighted, but, alas, we all have our faults and his seems to be spit up and skin problems. And waking several times during the night, but seriously, it seems to not be bothering anyone but me, so that counts it as a non-problem, right?

And the hubs. How do I love thee? He's got a new (but still crazy) work schedule. The upside is that we see him for dinner more nights. The downside is that now even if The Bug doesn't wake me at 4:30 am, my husband will.

We just watched "The Social Network," which I am happy to report that I have hit the point in my life where seeing a young college kid making a gazillion dollars doesn't bother me. I'm mature enough to acknowledge that I didn't just miss that boat because I wasn't in the right place at the right time. What I did take away from the movie was an amazing line about how Facebook is never done. Mark Zuckerberg's character says something like this: "It's like fashion, it's never finished."

This, my friends, is life. Well, you know, it will be finished one day, but until then, it's one wild ride. I keep thinking I'll have more time to do something another day. You know the excuse, "I was going to blah, blah, blah, but then the day just got too crazy." Well, in my world, they're all crazy. And probably not any more than any other mother's, but I manage the complaint department of my life, and some days no one will get the employee-of-the-month honor.

So today I'll use the excuse that I wrote this blog post, which is why I didn't get laundry or dinner started during naptime. Or why the living room still looks like a hurricane blew the toddler aisle of Toys R' Us right into my house. And yesterday I did this blog post, so that's what ate up that afternoon.

Life is a moving target, and if I don't get off my rear soon, I will either fall asleep or miss the opportunity to make chocolate brownies. Hey, at least I could savor a brownie while toys whiz by my head and still be considered a "fit" mom. Right?

Happy birfday!

Today is Jasper's 2nd birthday. We've been celebrating since Sunday. I think it might be a little traumatic once we stop. He is riding a new scooter, playing with new train tracks, reading new books, fixing things with his new tool set and cooking with his new kitchen gadgets.
The boy says "fickin" instead of fixing. It's hilarious. We gave him a little toy tool box for his birthday, and he's running around the house fickin everything. Too cute.

I feel so excited and proud of my little monkey. He's adorable, sweet, a daredevil and no matter how frustrated I get with him at times, I can't help but melt when he says, "Hugs."

No. 2 is due in about five weeks. I am even more tired and cranky than usual. I remember fondly when going to bed seemed like a relief. Rolling over at night is a chore all on its own. Sigh.

The name, the name, the name. We have not settled on a name for No. 2, and since we're having some troubles just deciding between the two of us, we've decided not to get anyone else involved in the conversation. We'll just say this, we will have a name picked out by the time this kid is born, and you'll know when you'll know. We could, of course, wait until I'm 10 centimeters to decide for sure. Sorry.

I've been saying that after Jasper's birthday we're just going to wind down and relax until this baby is born. Why do I fear that won't really happen?

I am thankful for some amazing fall weather right now. Despite the fact that it felt hot in our bedroom a couple of recent nights, cloudy, gray mornings giving way to beautiful blue, sunny afternoons aren't all that bad.

I am also thankful for some amazing friends. They lift my spirits when things get crazy. I am a lucky woman to have so many great women in my life.

I need to get our guest room (aka junk room) cleaned up and ready for visits from grandmas. Oh, and I guess we better get that crib put together, too!

I scream, he screams, we all scream for...

I am expecting a slight bit of insanity as this week rolls on with a huge job finishing up on Sunday.

I am so excited about next Monday. I have nothing to do!

Jasper's latest antics include thinking just about everything in our house is a ladder. He is constantly talking about climbing ladders. This includes the bed, chairs, benches, shelves and drawer pulls. He is also still fascinated with his diaper, taking it off, pulling it out of place even with clothes on and such, but I'll keep this post as positive as possible!

And... making us think twice about taking him out in public when he belts out a high-pitched scream because he's being restrained (in a shopping cart, stroller, etc.) when he doesn't want to be. This includes the car seat. It is a battle that seriously makes me think twice about going to the grocery store. I certainly limit trips in and out of the car. Every time we get in or out, we have the tantrum about how he wants to drive the car. Seriously, someone tell me this won't last until he's 16!

I am thankful for my husband who is managing to stand by me during this crazy period where I'm very stressed with work and getting very pregnant by the day. And constantly chasing a nearly-2-year-old. If all that doesn't make for a crazy mama, I don't know what would do it!

On the baby front, I'm 30 weeks this week. Feels like a big milestone, 3/4 of the way through, and the we-could-go-anytime date seems closer than I realize. I'm excited except for the fact that I know I'll be sleeping a lot less after the little one is here!

I am hopeful that I can keep my pledge to make no major commitments after this Sunday. Seth is asking that I put it in writing.

Jasper is cute when he eats ice cream. He's recently learned about dessert. He's, of course, eaten sweets for some time now, but now he gets it that he can ask for dessert, meaning cookies, cakes, ice cream and such. He calls it "ice cream truck." He's never eaten a treat from an ice cream truck, but we have several books that include ice cream trucks. Combine that with a boy's fascination with trucks, and you have "ice cream truck." Adorable. Here's a pic of him enjoying some chocolate ice cream tonight.

Another attempt

In an attempt to make blogging a bit easier and still satisfy the itch for my far-flung family to see pictures of our growing family, I am taking a stab at a new approach to this blog.

We'll see how far I get. I'm not setting any rules about how often I post because I find that intimidating enough with my other blog. Plus, my life seems to be getting busier by the second.

Here goes.

This week I am the lead volunteer organizing my annual neighborhood picnic. It's quite a chore, and, while I truly believe in serving your community, I will be relieved when the event is over.

I am anticipating some stress. I've got a massive work gig next week that is going to wipe me out.

I am looking forward to the months of September and October. No commitments, baby.

Jasper's latest antics include rearranging his diaper (or the body parts therein) during nearly every sleep time (night and naps). This means he most often he wakes up with wet clothes and wet bed. Call me the laundry queen.

Jasper's latest success would have to be going to sleep in his big boy bed without crying, although he might say it was "driving" a real fire truck at a festival over the weekend.

I am thankful for my mom. I never knew how hard this job was. Oh, and I'm also thankful for the energy I have despite being 29 weeks pregnant.

I am proud of the painting I just finished for Jasper's room. It's two panels that depict a scene from a book we found at the library of a little boy and a fire truck.

And a few pics.

Found him like this after nap today. He'd taken his diaper off, thrown it on the floor and tried to put his shorts back on. Trouble was he put both feet in one leg of his shorts.

Jasper and cousins Sophie and Lily on our trip to OK.

Jasper driving the boat with Papa!

Just chillin', folks.

Playing in the water at Lake Eufala.

Jasper and Sophie sleeping on the boat ride home.

Papa, Great Mom & Pop, Dad & Jasper hanging out in my parents' back yard on the swing set from my grandparents' home.

Jasper gives Baby Brother a raspberry on my tummy.

Jasper feeding baby. This is a new thing. Very funny.

A recent visit to the NW from Carrie and her crew. Here are Jasper, Emily & Jax.

The painting for Jasper's new room.

Catching up

Wow, I'm embarrassed that it's been so long. I've been quite neglectful lately. Those of you who keep up with my other blog likely know that I've even struggled to get posts up on time there.

Well, where should I start.

• I'm nearly 20 weeks pregnant. We're getting excited about finding out the gender and learning (we hope) that all is healthy with the little peanut.
  
• Jasper is growing every day, both physically and cognitively. He amazes us more and more all the time. He has been communicating with us on some level for about a year now with sign language and then some words, but his verbal skills are really taking off. He is making sentences, repeating things and saying words I didn't realize he knew all the time!
  
• Some of Jasper's favorite things include: boxed raisins, his puppy dog, books, toy cars, trucks & trains, big buses on the road, going on walks in the stroller with his friends, playing in water, and pretending to ride "horsey" on just about anything he can straddle.
• He does not like getting his diaper changed, getting dressed, any vegetable other than avocado, or being told "no."

We're looking forward to a nice, lazy summer before our world gets kicked into high gear with Baby No. 2 this fall. Here are a few pics of No. 1.

The best pets

It seems as if I become less and less grossed out or surprised by the things I have to do. Like last week when the vet said I had to collect urine samples from the dog for three mornings in a row. Didn't even flinch. And didn't think for one second that Seth would do this.

It seems between poopy diapers, spaghetti sauce in Jasper's hair, chicken poop and the regular dog poop pickup in the yard, I now have to hold a cup out while the dog takes a piss. Thank goodness he's male. Just make sure and put the tea water for me. It has been freezing cold and wet these past few mornings.

I have to say, however, I was pretty happy to drop off the specimens at the vet's office today. Another day, another chore. All of this is still in an effort to figure out why in the heck Wiley keeps getting these skin infections. We've moved beyond allergy to some metabolic disorder or disease that has weakened his immune system.


After hearing all of this, my sister said it best: "A beta fish, the best pet. Ever."

That says a lot coming from her. Angie brought home more than a few stray animals during our childhood. My parents especially loved the dog she brought home, took to the vet and found out was pregnant with LOTS of puppies! Yeah, not just one dog to take in but 10! Growing up we had (at one point or another, though not all at the same time) horses, dogs, cats, bunnies, fish, mice, hermit crabs and, if you include wild animals we caught, the list would expand to turtles, tarantulas, horny toads and crawdads.

All that said, I guess it's not too surprising that my little family expanded our animal brood about three weeks ago with three chickens. They're hens, they're legal and they will be delivering our eggs with a bow attached. OK, maybe not the part about they bow, but these little gals will live in a little coop in our backyard, something that more than a few of our neighbors also enjoy.


We have had the luxury of eating freshly laid eggs while chicken sitting for our neighbors. It is really a delight. And I'm hoping we all find a little fun in these new creatures. I'm also hoping that this go-round with animals is a bit more like my childhood. With all those pets, we actually didn't make a gazillion trips to the vet. And when one dog died after being hit by a car on the side of our country road, my dad just dug a grave right there. We even had a little spot in the back corner of our 5 acres where we buried a few other pets. I don't want to stress about animals like we've done with Wiley over the past year and a half. We love the guy and wouldn't change a thing, but some days I wonder how we got to this point where the dog has equal footing with the humans.

Nonetheless, today, we drove several miles out of our way with an impatient kiddo in the back to pick up Wiley's special dog food and drop off the jars of pee at the vet's.

Now that I think about it, Jasper is really into fish these days. Maybe I should jump on Angie's suggestion before he learns about all the other animals other people keep as pets!