callie and avery

1-1-12

2012-01-01T05:41:00.001-06:00

It's 2012! Election year! Leap year! Olympics! SO many cool things are happening this year. We celebrated the first day of the year with a Nerf dart/disc war with the neighbors' little boys (it was very short-lived). Josh and I got in some target practice with the girls willingly being our moving targets. They ran back and forth in the yard, dodging darts and discs, laughing themselves silly while trying not to get hit. We spent some time at the park, the girls got in some game-playing time on their iPods, and Eli decided he has to have his bear AND kitty when he goes to sleep. He also signed "bird" when he saw one flying outside. And we discovered he likes being a Nerf gun target, too. Thinks it's funny to get hit (in the legs, from very far away)(we might use our children as moving targets but we do not shoot them point blank!) and then yells UH-OH! when we're all out of ammo and helps pick up. So far a pretty good start to the new year.

I didn't take any pictures to remember the occasion. I was too busy having fun.

Have a happy start to your new year!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-28T06:43:00.001-06:00

Teachers should really focus on problem-solving skills

2011-12-17T04:59:00.000-06:00

I haven't had a good night's sleep since Monday night because Avery had a stomach bug on Tuesday night, then Eli threw up on Wednesday night. I forgot what happened Thursday night but let's just say I didn't sleep well. So now it's almost 7am on Saturday morning and I'm sleeping happily, glad that Eli isstill asleep. Until I get a knock on the door and I jump out of bed thinking Uh-oh,now Callie's sick. Only she's not sick but she does have a blanketwrapped around her head like how all the Sunday School pictures show Mary when she's standing in the stable with Joseph, looking down at baby Jesus. She says she's cold when she does this. I say she's a nut.

She tells me in a loud whisper (because remember? Eli is still sleeping. Which is what I should be doing) there are ANTS! In the PLAYROOM! They found a CRUMB! In the PLAYROOM! ANTS! Before I could say anything Avery looks at me and says, " Itold her it wasn't something she needed to wake you up for." Does thatgirl know me or what? My 5-year-old is my favorite.

So I told them both to wait in their room and wentto check it out, expecting a trail of ants on the floor and wall. Battling ants in the kitchen is bad enough, I really didn't want to find out I'd have to battle them in the playroom, too.

I couldn't findanything. So I got Callie to show me. RIGHT THERE! was a teeny crumb with literally 5ants on it and a few crawling around nearby on the floor.

REALLY, KID? You couldn't just knock the ants off, squish them in the carpet, throw the crumb in the toilet, and keep playing with your Barbies? I totally would have had at least 30 more minutes of sleep and then I would have been happy to vacuum up the squished ants.

Problem solved. I just wish she would've listened to her little sister for once.

A Promise Kept

2011-10-20T20:44:00.000-05:00

Last night I was filled with determination. Full of hope, of I CAN DO THIS. And then the alarm buzzed me out of my dreams at 5am and I had a split-second of whatever. I can SO do this some other time and almost went back to sleep.

I laced up my shoes and headed out the door before that voice could get any louder. By the time I was halfway up the slope by my house, my I CAN DO THIS was winning. I walked and ran for 40 minutes, ~~tired~~ exhausted when I walked back home, but happy. I made myself get up. I made myself walk hard, run, then walk some more. If I did it today, I can do it tomorrow. I will do it tomorrow.

Kindergarten

2011-09-23T07:14:00.000-05:00

September 6 was Avery's first day of Kindergarten! She loves it and is doing well so far. We have had a few incidents with the teacher, but I think it's more just trying to figure out her personality and learning how she relates to parents (which is to say, she doesn't relate all that well to parents). There have been three different assistants in almost as many weeks, but we've gotten that issue settled and the third assistant looks like she's here to stay. Avery has been super during all this change and really hasn't had any problems with any of it. She has two really good friends and is already chasing boys on the playground--but "only because they keep saying me and Bella are their girlfriends!" I haven't had a talk with her yet but I'm thinking it's coming soon. She's fallen asleep during rest time almost every day AND she actually bought and ate her lunch three times this week. I love that she is trying all these new things and is so ready and willing to do it. Kindergarten has been great for her.

I gave in

2011-09-19T07:29:00.000-05:00

She's wanted bangs for SO long and I kept refusing until now. She's still a little self-conscious about them and we've figured out how to style them a little better, but overall she really likes her new 'do. I like it, too!

Somebody got a big boy hair cut

2011-09-19T07:18:00.000-05:00

No more wispy fly-away hairs, no more confused hair that didn't know which way to lay on his head, no more long pieces of hair hanging in his eyes. He sat in my lap, very suspicious of the lady with the scissors in her hand. He kept watching her in the mirror but never said a word, never cried, just watched.

I still get to rock him to sleep, though. How I love this boy.

Avery's turn

2011-09-14T00:22:00.002-05:00

That little apple shirt is still one of my all-time favorite shirts Avery has ever worn.

December 2007: 22 months

Love that little face! She's still the same little, petite girl, except now she has a light sprinkling of freckles across her nose. So cute.

A few more

2011-09-13T08:26:00.003-05:00

Okay, so I've been trying to organize my external hard drive with all my pictures on it. And of course I've been looking at pictures of my sweet girls when they were younger. I'll post just a few, I promise.

Callie first!

October 2008: 5 years, 2 months

December 2007: 4 years, 4 months

She didn't have nearly as many freckles then as she does now, and I try to be diligent about sunscreen and keeping her out of the sun during peak times of the day. Freckles are part of her DNA, though, since her Daddy and I have them, too. Fortunately, she loves them just like we do (and almost everyone else who meets her). I have always loved taking close-ups of Callie's face. She sometimes gives me the best expressions during close-ups. There's not always the best light available and I would have exposed these pictures a little differently had I taken them now, but that's not the point. She's beautiful.

Avery's next!

Third Grade

2011-09-13T00:17:00.000-05:00

It's been a busy few weeks around here. Nana and Poppy flew in for a visit, Callie turned eight, and then the first day of school suddenly appeared. Callie started third grade on the 29th, and while I'm excited I have a third grader now, I'm kinda disappointed because I want my baby back for just a little while longer.

She is SO grown up now. I don't even know what to say about her. She likes her teacher this year but was disappointed her best friend Alli isn't in her class. Or even any kid she's been in class with before, for that matter (except for one, a boy, but hello, he's a BOY and aren't boys supposed to be stinky and gross?). She's happy to go to school everyday so I think everything's been going well so far. It's just hard to think she's in 3rd grade already.

I still think of her like this sometimes.

She's got it! (mostly)

2011-09-07T07:58:00.000-05:00

Callie's this close to being able to handle her bike in almost any situation. She can start by herself, she can almost always stop by herself, and she can even go over speed bumps without totally freaking out and taking both feet off the pedals and losing all control and running into the curb and falling over. That might have happened once or three times. Maybe.

She is still a little wobbly and I'm not sure how she'd do with other kids around riding their bikes but by herself, she's doing pretty well.

Callie turns EIGHT!

2011-09-04T07:49:00.000-05:00

On August 26, my baby, my very first baby, turned eight. Eight is kinda like Seven and Six, in that it's not all that special of a birthday. It's not a double digit birthday, it's not My Baby Is ONE or The Big Five birthday. She's still two years away from Ten, when she can get her very own military ID. She's still one year away from Nine, when I can leave her at the youth center with friends. But for this newly-turned Eight Year Old, it means walking around the loop with a friend and Third Grade is WAY cooler than Second Grade and Mama is still okay to hug and kiss but please don't hang around outside while I'm playing with my friends. Eight is learning to ride a bike without training wheels (she's been a little slower than most on accomplishing this goal, but she is doing so well with her balancing, she's almost got it!). It means more sleepovers and telling jokes with a best friend. It's getting stronger and laughing louder and standing up for what she wants (even if she doesn't get it). Eight has learned to like sushi and trying new things, within reason, of course (Octopus? Uh, no thanks.). It's still being messy and still learning to focus on the task at hand. It's still needing Mama and Daddy and loving learning about the Lord and playing with a little sister and brother who adore her. I think Eight is good so far.

Callie's choice for breakfast: Dunkin Donuts!

Eli loves donut holes. Especially being able to eat them by himself.

Birthday presents first thing in the morning!

We got her two of the three DS games she wanted. She's played this game

over and over and over so it was worth the price.

The second of the two games we got Callie.

She's been able to read her own birthday cards for a long time. YAY!

I love that she wants to read all of her birthday cards.

Adventures in Odyssey on CD! These are our favorite things to listen to

during any downtime. She got another CD set from Grammy

and Grandpa. She is beyond happy she has new stories to listen to!

Callie picked McDonald's for lunch. Oh...yay. I'm not so big on eating here

but I enjoyed it for my girl. There is ZERO sarcasm intended in that last sentence. Really.

Eli apparently was very interested in something on the ceiling.

Callie's Nana and Poppy came all the way out to Japan to help us celebrate her birthday! Okay, not really, but they were very happy they could be with us for her birthday. One thing Callie wanted to do was get a pedicure at CocoK's. We didn't have to do much convincing for Nana to join us.

We all still have such pretty toes, a week later.

We usually make the kids' birthday cakes. A couple of times I've had to buy a cake from a grocery store, but I never considered ordering a custom cake, until I saw this one. It was the Barbie head that got me. Callie chose the colors and Ms. Annette made it just for her. It was DELICIOUS and Callie was so happy.

She did NOT eat that huge piece of cake. But being the birthday girl, she got the

first piece and wanted the section that said "Callie". Of course.

A couple of weeks before Callie's birthday, I asked her to start thinking about what she wanted to do for her birthday lunch. After thinking for a minute, she said, "I wish we could fly back to the States and get Quiznos." Enter the power of Facebook. I posted her comment, cousin Donna commented that I should get a Quiznos wrapper and bag and make a sandwich and wrap it like it came from Quiznos. Then I asked Grammy if she could get a wrapper and the day before Callie's birthday, a package containing a Quiznos wrapper, plastic bag, and napkins arrived in the mail. We bought Subway (I know, not anywhere near as good as Quiznos, but it's the best I could do) and I wrapped up her sandwich. She thought it was so cool that she had "Quiznos" for lunch. So glad Donna thought of that and Grammy was able to mail it in time!

We had such a great day celebrating Callie's birthday and she went to bed a very happy girl. One thing I didn't post a picture of is Callie's new bike. We surprised her with a new bike without training wheels, to encourage her to learn to ride without them. Hopefully soon I'll be able to post a short video of her riding by herself.

Happy birthday to my sweet girl. How we love you so much!

Happy Happy Birthday!

2011-08-26T07:57:00.004-05:00

To my sweet girl Callabelle! I'm hoping pictures will be coming soon of this girl's 8th birthday!

Wow, three posts in a row! Don't get used to it.

2011-08-20T08:05:00.000-05:00

See his eyelashes? Be jealous.

First his sister, now him. What's with the weird faces?

Signing "Mama" just for me! He may screech DA-DA

when he sees Josh, but he signs for me.

Almost 8

2011-08-20T06:58:00.001-05:00

This kid is almost EIGHT. I wanted to take a picture to remember how she looks at this very moment because, poor thing, her teeth are falling right out of her head. She's lost six teeth so far, the most recent having been lost on the very day I took this picture (August 18th). She was eating a Ritz cracker and walked into the kitchen with her tooth in her hand. Her speech has changed a little; she whistles now. And I can't help but laugh when she grins because it's just so cute. She loves telling and reading jokes, loves playing outside with her best friend Alli, and more often than not can be found in a comfy place reading a book. She is also more stubborn than a mule, is a grouch when she's hungry, and can be distracted by everything sparkly. Next week she'll officially turn eight and I'm sure I'll post some pictures of that day. But this is how she is right now, this very minute.

Cleaning up was just as fun

2011-08-20T06:43:00.000-05:00

Back in July I got this idea in my head that I would let the girls fill their pool with shaving cream and then play in it. I went to the BX and quickly realized I would need eleventy-billion bottles of shaving cream to fill our gigantoid pool so I settled on 8 cans of the cheap stuff instead (no one ever accused me of having great spatial reasoning). I let them use four this time and we saved four for another time, when maybe a friend or two would want to jump in the chaos. Still, it was a fun time and even Eli enjoyed himself.

Update, sort of

2011-07-16T07:07:00.002-05:00

Things my kids have done did recently:

Avery learned how to swim underwater and was swimming like a fish a week ago. Now she claims her goggles don't work and she has reverted back to wanting her floatie.
Callie worked on a bracelet for 90 minutes by herself, with very little help from me (I helped hold the string a couple of times and actually ~~stringed~~ ~~strang~~ strung maybe six beads total). It is a beautiful bracelet.
Eli can sign "more juice please" but not necessarily in that exact order. More often than not, it's "juice please juice more".

That's it! It's been a slow two weeks.

Down Time

2011-07-09T07:16:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't posted here in awhile. It's funny, I used to wonder why people even had blogs if they only updated them once in a while. And here I am, only posting once in a while. But let me give you my excuses why I haven't been updating.

it takes time to upload the pictures I'd want to include in my posts
I don't have the time to upload the pictures and edit them before I post them
I have a 15 month old boy who won't sit still, can you imagine? The nerve of that kid.
The 5yr old and 7yr old are on summer vacation right now. That means THEY won't sit still, either.
By the time they're in bed, all I want to do is read or watch TV but I usually have laundry to do or dishes to wash
By the time that stuff is done it's time for ME to be in bed.
And then it starts all over again.

But you might say, what about now? You're on the computer now, why don't you update it now? Well. THAT IS WHAT I'M DOING ISN'T IT. But you won't get any pictures or cute videos because that takes time. And I just don't want to spend the time right now. I wish it was different but it's not. But hey! We're still alive and kicking. That counts, right?

2011-06-06T04:01:00.001-05:00

Goodbye, Mister Two. It's been fun. Loads of fun if you count the time I drove you to the store 8 months pregnant and took ten minutes to get my behind out of the seat. We'll just keep that between you and me.

Something better has come along. Something a little bigger, a little faster (okay, A LOT faster), and a whole lot more fun to drive. A Suburu Legacy B4 is now ours. It has four doors! And a backseat big enough for all three kids!

Plus, it's a manual transmission. Yippee!

Typhoon Damage

2011-06-04T00:13:00.002-05:00

The typhoon that moved through here last Saturday night was horrendous. I think it was the worst I've ever gone through in my lifetime, and it really wasn't even that bad (according to more seasoned veterans, aka Crazy People). The sustained winds on our base were measured at over 90 mph, with gusts up to 120mph. The good thing is there was very little rain with this storm so the clean up afterwards was made easier.

Good and easier are not words typically associated with typhoons.

We had a lot of damage to things in our yard, but not a lot of damage to our trees. In fact, both of our trees (one in front, one in back) only had a couple limbs break off. Compared to our neighbors, our trees held up well. Thankfully our house is built to withstand strong winds so the kids and I were safe inside. Except when the power went out I lost my Internet and that made me a little crazy.

Before Josh left (because OF COURSE he had to leave a couple of days before the storm hit for a totally different mission), we took the pad, springs, and mat off the trampoline and stored them in the shed (mat and springs) and play house (pad). As you can see, the play house was blown away, along with everything in it. Fortunately, the trampoline pad got caught on a piece of the swing set and ended up on our neighbor's patio.

The swing set had the most damage. Pieces were literally snapped off and it all went crashing onto our neighbor's patio. I think Josh is going to try to save it...everything is still there, even the slide that blew off completely. He will just have to replace the broken wood.

Our neighbor's trampoline was tucked safely (or so we thought) behind the electrical building, beside some trees. It was strapped down in two places and since it had weathered other typhoons and tropical storms in that same exact place, we thought it'd be okay. Oh, we were so wrong!

2011-05-27T07:29:00.000-05:00

There's a typhoon coming our way. A SUPER typhoon, to be exact. I think that means it's a Cat. 4 right now. By the time it gets to us, though, it's only supposed to be a Cat. 3. Only a Cat. 3. I'm so relieved. Whew.

Having grown up in North Carolina and then living in Florida for four years and here for almost two, we've weathered some pretty severe storms. Although we missed Hurricane Ivan (it hit the year before we moved to FL) and the major typhoon that hit Japan in 2007 that almost flooded our house (missed that one by two years), we have had to endure some pretty strong winds and sideways rains. I am accustomed to thinking through big purchases now, because if it can't fit in our shed or we can't strap it down, we don't get it. It's the main reason we never got a patio table. We got the chairs because they stack up. The glass-top table? Wouldn't fit in our shed. And there's no way I'm bringing a table inside my house that's been outside for any amount of time because that's just the right amount of time for spiders, ants, and geckos to crawl into the table's nooks and crannies and build a home. Once it's outside, it stays outside. And if there's a possibility it won't survive typhoon season, we just don't buy it.

I've found there are two basic groups of people in terms of typhoon preparedness. It's kind of like when they predict snow in North Carolina: everyone runs to the store and buys bread, eggs, and milk...or they just stay home and eat what food they've already got.

The Freakouts: ZOMG there's a typhoon coming!!!!!!!111!!1 I better go to the commissary RIGHT NOW, right before it hits, and buy 23 packs of batteries for my two flashlights and 50 gallons of water for me and my husband!!!!1!!1 And I might as well do my monthly grocery shopping that takes up three shopping carts while I'm here because OMG a TYPHOON'S COMING!!

The Whatevers, also known as The Last Minute-ers: Oh look. A typhoon's coming. Whatever. I don't need to secure my stuff outside until the winds hit at least 30mph. I don't need anything at the store. I've got enough peanut butter and canned peaches to get me through the weekend.

Me? I'm somewhere in-between. I certainly don't freak out. But I also don't have the luxury to wait until the last minute to put things up outside. Have you SEEN our backyard? A playhouse, shed, two trampolines (only one is ours), a swing set, and two slide/climbers. Not to mention all the other little toys strewn about. One day I even found a small version of the Millenium Falcon. I almost kept that for myself.
I'll admit I went to the commissary today, the day before the storm is supposed to hit, and picked up a few things. And yes, I did see the people who had obviously panicked and stripped the store shelves of all water bottles and batteries and had shopping carts full of food. I mean, why? Why would you do your monthly grocery shopping the day before a storm hits? WHY?

This typhoon better be worth it.

Rainy days

2011-05-04T23:40:00.000-05:00

You know, I love rain. I like the way it sounds when it's hitting the ground. I like the way it (usually) cools things off. And I love that it makes our grass a bright, bright green.

What I do not like, however, is that it keeps my one year old inside. He can't walk very well yet but loves being outside, crawling around, pushing toys, trying to walk, digging in the dirt. He screams when we have to go inside for whatever reason. So when it's raining, we're stuck inside. And let me clarify, this isn't just some little April shower of light rain. This is full-blown stormy rain, pouring down. No one in their right minds would want to be outside in rain like this.

Unless, of course, your name is ELI and you are one. One year olds don't have a "right" mind to begin with so who cares, right? Well, I think I'm going to have to suck it up and take this kid outside before he explodes. He'll probably like it even more if he gets soaked while playing.

He's such a BOY.

Callie AND Avery -ism, in song

2011-05-04T06:34:00.001-05:00

Singing "Days of Elijah" in the car tonight, we came to the bridge part of the song. The actual words are: There's no God like Jehovah

Callie and Avery's version: There's no guy like Jo-oh-nah

Moving on

2011-04-25T19:47:00.000-05:00

Avery's best friend left today (Tuesday) to move back to the States. This has been harder on me and Josh than it has been for Avery, who doesn't quite understand what it means to "move back to the States". She just knows she can't walk up to Ana's house to play, although she still asks. And occasionally she'll rip my heart out with, "Ana's my BEST friend" or "I won't ever see Ana again" and little notes to Ana telling her she loves her SO MUCH.

We had a play date with Ana yesterday (Monday) while her mom ran some errands. What was supposed to be two hours turned into almost all day, which was fine by me and the girls. They had a picnic lunch and played in the playroom. They watched a Tinkerbell movie. They played outside and with Eli. They had no concept of time, they just enjoyed playing with each other.

It made me want to cry.

I took a little break that afternoon and got a massage and pedicure as a late birthday present. When I got home Ana had been picked up but more friends were at our house so Avery didn't seem too bothered. We did end up seeing Ana and her mom one more time yesterday evening. We were talking for a minute and Ana really didn't want to give Avery a hug goodbye. Her mom mentioned that all four of the kids were acting out in some way today because they didn't want to leave. The 6-year-old refused to get dressed this morning, as if not getting dressed meant they had to stay here. I'm with ya, buddy. Maybe if I refused to get dressed they'd stay longer. Actually that might make them jump on the plane even faster.

So Avery's bestest friend EVER has moved. Yes, she has other friends that she likes to play with but it's just not the same. She misses Ana and her family. And I miss them, too.

Baby Steps

2011-04-19T03:04:00.001-05:00

I KNOW I need to post the poor boy's first birthday pictures. And I KNOW it's been almost a month since he turned a year old. But I had to post this now because it never gets old watching a baby walk for the very first time.

Made even more special because Josh was home to see it. And then when Callie came home from school, Eli walked to her, too.

Go, Eli, GO!

Moving season

2011-03-23T23:41:00.000-05:00

This is the part of the military that I hate. Oh sure, I complain about things that would go WAY better if I was in charge, but for the most part I do love being in the Air Force. Except for the moving part. Us moving, friends moving, moving far away, moving closer...it's all very stressful. And right around springtime is when it starts.

We aren't moving, not for another year hopefully, but friends are. Friends whose time is up, time to move on to bigger and better things. And it's not just my friend, it's the girls' friends, too. Their girl, who walks home with Callie from school sometimes, who plays in our backyard with both Callie and Avery. And their boy, who loves Eli to death and always makes him (Eli) smile. They move in April.

Our carpool buddies, the two kids who make our car rides in the mornings very loud and rambunctious, are leaving in May. They have a baby brother, and they love on Eli as if he was their brother, too.

And then there's Avery best friend. Her family may be moving soon, even though they just got here last year. A close family member is very sick with cancer and they are trying to get back to the States so they can spend what little time they have left with their loved one. I'm heartbroken over the thought of them moving and they don't even know for sure if they'll be allowed to move yet.

The military gives us opportunities a lot of people don't have, with traveling all over the States (or the world), meeting so many wonderful people who become great friends. But it also means we have to say goodbye. I'd rather just have you stick around for another year or four so we can become even better friends. Sure wish it worked like that instead of always having to say goodbye.

Signing

2011-03-21T19:58:00.000-05:00

We are signing with Eli and it's not been easy. Not easy as in he just will not sign anything other than all done right now. I've been focusing on all done and more, but he only signs all done.

This morning he was eating pancakes and ate everything on his tray. As soon as he showed me he wanted more pancakes by hitting the table and screeching (or pulling the tablecloth with Josh and I HATE) (exactly the reason we are trying to get him to sign), I said, "Eli, more. Would you like more?" Each time I put my fingertips together in the sign for more, willing him with my mind to just put his fingers together and SIGN THE WORD ALREADY.

One more time I said, "Eli, show me more." He reached out, took one of my hands in one of his, then took the other hand, and made me sign more, then looked at me like I was a moron.

Life Saver

2011-03-15T08:02:00.000-05:00

It's just a white cloth diaper. We used them as burp clothes when all three kids were babies. I have close to eleventy billion. And Eli has fallen in love with them.

Well, just one. But he LOVES it. And he doesn't know when I switch the dirty one out for a clean one, he just snuggles them all just the same.

At nap time I grab his cloth from his crib, toss it on his head and he grabs it and squeals while he buries his face into it. We rock in the chair while he chews on his cloth and when he gets really sleepy, he pushes it up under his chin with his little hands twisted inside it.

In his crib he will roll onto his tummy, the cloth tucked safely underneath him. When he wakes up the cloth is never far away, oftentimes held in his little fist while he pulls himself up on the railing to greet me. He holds onto it while I change his diaper, sometimes throwing it onto the floor, then showing a look of bewilderment when he figures out it's not within reach. That cloth is his comfort, his joy. He has to drop it back into his crib as we leave his room because we have a rule: The cloth is only for sleeping. I'm not sure why we made that rule but we did, so we stick to it.

Except twice. When I broke the rule. But I had good reason. 1) he was in the worst mood EVER and I had a lot of stuff to do that morning, including taking Avery and two friends to school. A 15-minute drive with a crying, cranky baby will seem like hours. Trust me. So I gave him his cloth before we left. INSTANT HAPPINESS. What a sigh of relief. 2) Eli was cranky again during lunch and ready for a nap but it wasn't quite time (sleep too early = wake up too early) so I broke out the cloth. With his blessed cloth, Eli played happily for another half-hour and went down for his nap easily. And slept for 2 1/2 hours.

I think I might love this cloth almost as much as he does.

Birthday "Suprise"

2011-03-15T07:30:00.000-05:00

Callie wrote this note to Josh and we taped it to the back door. We didn't want him to come home from work and see his birthday cake because it was supposed to be a surprise so we wrote him a note. Callie thought it was great that Josh played along and hid his eyes any time he could possibly have a view into the kitchen.

Big Helper

2011-03-15T07:24:00.000-05:00

I bought a new area rug for our living room last week. I moved all of the furniture and struggled to lay this carpet down by myself so I could surprise Josh when he got home from work. I started unrolling it and noticed the dog watching me out of the corner of my eye. I had it halfway unrolled, turned around to get Eli, turned back around, and there's the dog, sacked out on the carpet, almost asleep.

If I didn't lover her so much she'd be out with the garbage.

Random updates

2011-03-12T06:08:00.000-06:00

First, for all of my blog readers (hello, all five of you!), the disaster in northern Japan has not affected us, other than tsunami warnings. We did not feel the earthquake and the ensuing tsunami that has devastated the coast did not reach us. We are fine. THANK YOU for your prayers.

So! On to the Random McRandomness...

I think Eli has a tooth coming in behind his right center tooth on the bottom. Either that or I really need to get my eyes checked again because I am for real life seeing a teeny tiny white spot on his gums.
And what exactly am I supposed to do about that? I have no idea.
I bought the girls some foam rollers so they can have curly hair in the mornings after their baths sometimes.
Avery now wants her hair curled every night.
We started to hang pictures last weekend. Hung five and realized the last two had different hangers that won't work with the screws. I keep forgetting to get new hangers for the last two pictures.
I love my dog but dude. She stinks.
It's cold outside and this time last year we had already been wearing shorts for about a month.
I can't wait for our family to visit again this summer.
It's going to be a long summer.
I miss my kitties.
I wish my iphone would upload pictures to Facebook like it's supposed to.
I need to find some new good books to read.
I am very proud of my husband.
AFN commercials are the dumbest commercials EVER.
I just saw an AFN commercial. It was dumb.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2011-03-07T06:40:00.000-06:00

Today we celebrated Josh's birthday. The girls decorated his cake all by themselves after gymnastics. I think they did a pretty good job. Of course, I helped with the writing but that's only because the girls were having trouble squeezing the icing bag and writing at the same time. I promise that's ALL I helped with! They frosted it all on their own. While they were busy with that, I started dinner and eavesdropped on their conversation (I am NOT ASHAMED, no I'm not). The best quote: Callie to Avery: This is going to be the best birthday cake EVER. Because we iced it ourselves.

And it was THE BEST birthday cake ever! Since we only had three candles, Josh turned three instead of thirty-five, so Happy Third Birthday, Josh! We love you.

Avery's 5th birthday

2011-03-06T06:17:00.000-06:00

The balloon Daddy gave her at lunch

New Barbie shirt! She LOVES it

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

Birthday dinner at Jack's Place

Eli clapping

2011-03-06T06:05:00.000-06:00

Yay!

His new trick

2011-03-02T07:15:00.000-06:00

Eli has discovered why the dog likes to hang out around his chair:

And now we have the fun of trying to stop this or Trim will get fat and Eli will never eat any of his food because he's throwing it to the dog. But it was HILARIOUS to see him do this. He did it all on his own, while we were sitting at the table, finishing up dinner.

Happy birthday to my girl

2011-02-17T06:36:00.000-06:00

Dear Avery,

Today you turned 5 years old. You kept asking me, "When does my birthday start?" and no matter how many times I said, "Your birthday is ALL DAY," you still didn't quite understand. I think you might have been getting your actual birthday (today) mixed up with your birthday party, which is on Saturday at 2. I took pictures of you but looks like they'll be stuck on the camera a little longer because your sister has decided to participate in Puke Fest 2011 today. We were on our way to celebrate your birthday with dinner at Jack's Place (your choice--it was a good one!) and she lost her lunch, literally, in the car. You were only "slightly" disappointed. More like SUPER disappointed but we made sure to let you know dinner was only postponed, not canceled altogether. Other than that little snafu we had a pretty fun day, including lunch with Daddy which never happens, he's so busy with work.

I can't believe you are five already. You are so sweet and dramatic and beautiful and loud and loving and feisty and I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! You are a wonderful big sister to Eli and little sister to Callie. I can't imagine what our family would be like without you in it. Actually it'd be pretty boring. I'm glad you're here.

Love,
Mama

10 months and 6 days

2011-02-01T02:07:00.003-06:00

Eli learned how to clap!

That is breaking news in this house. And yes, I have a PICTURE.

Going in circles

2011-01-20T06:28:00.000-06:00

I'm telling you, this $40 exer-saucer thing was the best baby buy EVER. Well, except for my Ergo Baby carrier. Aside from that, this thing is the best toy. Eli loves walking in circles in it and will usually laugh while he's going around and around. I could watch him do this all day:

2011-01-08T05:16:00.000-06:00

I just realized I haven't posted anything since the day after Christmas, when we were still in North Carolina. We're home now and still trying to get over the jet lag that comes with flying for about 22 hours, including layovers. We got home at 11pm on Thursday, the 6th, and are still very sluggish and slightly confused all the time. Or maybe that's just me. The girls did a lot better today because they had a birthday party to attend at lunchtime and then about an hour after we arrived home, some of the girls' friends came outside to play. I am not doing so well with getting back to normal. I am exhausted right now and I will be going to bed shortly. The girls have been in bed for about 15 minutes already and the boy will be going to bed as soon as Josh gets up to put him in his crib.

I loved being home with our families, no doubt. It was wonderful to see the girls with their cousins on both sides of the family, just picking up where they left off 18 months ago. They had sleepovers almost every night with lots of giggling and game-playing, which meant late bedtimes and late wake times. I slept in 'til 8:30 one morning! We had a wonderful time and although Avery threw up in the airport in Tokyo on our way back home (too many dried mangos), the trip was uneventful. It's just such a long flight and super boring and when you're holding 1) a 20lb sand bag-- aka sleeping baby or 2) a cranky, overly sleepy 4 year old, there's not a lot of sleeping for yourself going on. Fortunately all three kids slept for the last 3 hour flight and Josh and I were able to nap enough to stay awake for the 40 minute drive home from the airport.

And now I think I should end this post, seeing as how I typed "hospital" instead of "airport" in that last sentence. I didn't catch it until I reread my post. I think that's my signal to get some rest.

SNOW!

2010-12-26T13:27:00.000-06:00

We are now at my parents' house a day earlier than planned because there's almost a foot of snow on the ground! We had to leave Josh's parents' house early (Christmas day) to beat the storm and even though we didn't want to leave early, I'm glad we did. We would've been stuck. But now we get to play in the snow!

Home

2010-12-18T13:18:00.000-06:00

We are in North Carolina right now, visiting Josh's family. It's snowing outside and FREEZING cold, just the way I like it. Eli is sick with a nasty cold and I am still a little jet-lagged from the trip but, man. It's good to be home.

Also, the night we arrived, December 16th, Eli crawled on his hands and knees for the first time. He hasn't done it since then, though, but at least we know he can actually do it!

An update on The Boy

2010-12-13T05:56:00.000-06:00

As of Saturday, December 11, Eli can wave. He mostly waves when we say 'hi' but sometimes will wave when we say goodbye.

He also sat up on his own from a laying-down position. He was on his tummy, got on his hands and knees, then pushed himself into a sitting position. We've been waiting for this for weeks because we know it's the next step in learning how to crawl. So close!

Hawaii, part 2

2010-12-10T00:13:00.001-06:00

I couldn't resist putting this picture in here. That little smirk on Eli's face is totally him.

One of the places Callie really wanted to visit in Hawaii was Iolani Palace. She had read about it in a book she checked out at the library and really wanted to go. Josh dropped us off and he took Avery and Eli to Target to kill some time while we went on the palace tour. Kids under 6 years old were not allowed in the palace. It was an interesting tour and I was happy I could spend that time with my girl. When Josh picked us up, Callie was already making plans for Avery to see the palace in two years, when she turns six.

We also went to a luau at the Polynesian Cultural Center. We did some activities before the luau started, one of which was learning a hula dance. Wish I could've gotten that on video.

Oh, Eli. His bathing suit didn't fit him anymore so we got one on sale at Target. But it didn't have a swim shirt with it. I found one at Big K (I hadn't been there in a LONG time) but it didn't have a price tag on it and none of the other shirts on the rack were anything like it. Since it was the only one that was his size, I took it to the register and became that person who holds up the line while the cashier tries to look up the price. Totally worth the disgusted looks from the other customers because I only paid $4.50 for that shirt, compared to $15 for the other ones!

Eli would like you to know that he did NOT like the water at all and that he only ate a little bit of sand. It was crunchy.

Was it worth it? Yes. Even with Eli being sick the entire time we were there. Even with the added expense of us having to rent a car for me to drive (the military paid for Josh's rental). And our routines being thrown out the window, it was worth the time we got to spend together in a beautiful, awesome place.

Hawaii, part 1

2010-11-30T06:20:00.003-06:00

Waiting for the plane...Eli entertained quite a few older Japanese ladies who kept taking pictures of him. This was my last chance to gather strength for a 6 1/2hr flight with the kids without Josh. I remember mumbling Lord, help me over and over.

Our plane! The flight wasn't too terribly bad. The girls watched Toy Story 3, we ate dinner (I have no idea how I ate my dinner while holding Eli and keeping him from grabbing everything in sight), then I made the girls go to sleep. Eli slept for probably 4 hours out of the 6 1/2hr flight. I didn't sleep at all. But we made it safely and we found Josh at the airport (his flight got in a few minutes after ours) and all was well.

At the Dole Plantation...Callie picked a key that opened a treasure box. She then got to pick out an oyster from the bowl on the left.

The oyster had a little pearl inside. We had the option of making it into a necklace for $60, plus the cost of the necklace. Josh and I looked at each other and said, "No, thanks." We have the pearl stashed in the diaper bag. Maybe one day we'll make it into a necklace, but not right now and not for $60!

Callie and her pearl

fresh pineapple, mmm

signs at the Dole Plantation pointing to major cities with their distance (sadly, none of the cities we've ever lived in were on the signs)

This was our first and last view of a beach at the North Shore. The waves weren't high like you see on TV. Those waves don't roll in until wintertime so we missed them. But still, it was pretty cool to be out on the beach, sinking in the sand while the water washed over our feet.

USS Arizona Memorial

Avery was being her usual uncooperative self and wouldn't pose for a picture. Eli was snoozing.

USS Utah Memorial on Ford Island

Our view from our cottage at Barbers Point. I never even noticed the power lines when we were there, just that the water was a short walk away. It was wonderful to listen to the waves at night, when the cottage was quiet and still. Awesome.

Jumping the waves with Daddy

We found a place where rocks were right at the shore and helped the waves to not be so bad. The girls could stand by themselves and "jump" the waves and we didn't have to worry about the strong undertow. Of course it was more fun to hang onto Daddy.

Avery thought the refrigerator looked too plain so she drew some pictures to tape on the door. Then she and Callie drew more pictures to hang in the hallway. I have to say it did make the cottage seem more like home.

There's much more to come, I just don't have time to put it all in here at the moment. Soon, I hope!

On his way

2010-11-18T03:57:00.000-06:00

Eli started pulling himself on his tummy while we were still in Hawaii. We discovered he could do it when he went after a toy while on the hotel bed. Once we got home and he had more freedom to roam the floors, he is moving all over the place. He has also discovered the dog, much to Trim's dismay, although she has yet to get up and move away from him. Lazy dog. She fits right in with this family.

(this was recorded weird and it's my fault. I wasn't paying attention to how I was holding my iphone, just trying to get him moving on camera. Oops.)

Callie-isms

2010-11-10T06:29:00.000-06:00

Callie: Mama, are cups made out of seashells?

Me: No.

Callie: Then why can you hear the ocean when you put them up to your ear?

Catching up on my correspondance

2010-11-10T06:27:00.001-06:00

Dear Eli,

Please stop pooping in the middle of the night because you KNOW it will wake you up and then you wake ME up and then no one is happy. Also? You waking up in the middle of the night means you will be a grumpy bear the rest of the day because you will be tired all. day. long. So please save your poopy diapers for when Daddy is home. Then I'll pretend I don't smell anything until he's holding you and HE'LL have to change it.

Love you!
Mama

-----

Dear Avery,

Please stop having a complete meltdown at bathtime because really, it's annoying. Hearing you whine and cry over and over and OVER "I'm cold" or "I don't wanna dry myself off" or "I don't wanna get dressed" or "I don't wanna brush my teeth" and let's not forget "I don't wanna go to bed" could be considered extreme torture. And have you noticed? When you whine and cry like that, guess what? YOU STILL HAVE TO DO ALL OF THOSE THINGS. Huh. Imagine that. So please just be a good girl and stop the meltdowns and we'll all be happier. I know you're tired but let's just try to get through our routine as quickly as possible so you can get to bed.

'Kay, thanks.
I love you!
Mama

-----

Dear Callie,

You are seven years old. You can get up at night and go to the bathroom by yourself. You do not need to wake your little sister up and make her go with you. That's why she's having the screaming meltdowns. She's being woken up by YOU and then she doesn't get enough sleep. So please stop. You have a flashlight that you even picked out. USE IT. The house isn't even that dark at night and you have a nightlight in the bathroom so you can see. Just stop waking your sister up. NOW.

Thanks so much sweet girl, love you!
Mama

Halloween

2010-11-01T15:52:00.000-05:00

Our Halloween consisted of me taking Eli to Babies R Us in the morning and spending loads of money on clothes and baby stuff. And I loved every minute of it. I haven't been to a BRU in over a year and I'd forgotten all the cool things they sell. I only bought what we needed, one of which was an ear thermometer that the BX at our base just refuses to sell. They have regular thermometers, but not ear ones. And I really don't want to put Eli through the indignity of having his temp taking in his rear-end. Also, I don't want to get peed on.

So a good shopping trip there, except when we got home and I found a security tag still on a pair of pants I got on sale. Now we have to drive all the way back out there (30 minutes at least) to get them to take the tag off.

At 5pm the girls got dressed in their costumes and we walked around the hotel, hoping to see orange paper pumpkins on doors so they could get some candy. The hotel gave pumpkins to guests who were willing to pass out candy to any trick-or-treaters. We walked around our building and then looked through the courtyard at some of the other rooms. We saw no pumpkins. It was a great idea on the hotel's part, just poor execution. What we did see were several kids dressed up, getting ready to go trick-or-treating somewhere else. So we loaded everyone up, went for a quick dinner on base, and walked into one of the neighborhoods. We were trying to find the field-grade housing, just because there is a slim (read: zero) chance Josh could get stationed here in HI. And since we really like where this Marine base is located and that it's so quiet over here (plus, new housing!) we figured we'd just see what the housing was like in our pay grade.

We ended up in nice, fairly new junior-enlisted housing. SO not even close to what we were looking for, but very nice anyway. We were greeted by a "safety officer" who gave the girls glow bracelets -- for FREE -- and then we were off. Josh and I had to keep telling Avery she HAD to say thank you after receiving any candy and most of the time she did. The times she didn't we threatened to take all of her candy away and eat it ourselves. We said it with just enough sternness in our voices that she wasn't exactly sure if we were kidding or not so she tried really hard to remember to say thank you. We were kidding. Kind of.

The girls walked for about an hour with no complaints and Eli sat straight up in his stroller in his pumpkin shirt, talking and laughing almost the whole time. They got lots of loot and yes, we let them eat candy when we got home. They had walked so much and were so tired that the sugar didn't keep them awake and they were asleep 5 minutes after getting in bed, even with the lights still on. It was a totally different experience than last year at our house, where it rained and we only walked around our one big loop and filled their bags to over half-full. A friend across the street from us mentioned going through twelve bags of candy in an hour. So yeah, they get a lot of trick-or-treaters back home. We had a lot of fun and the girls are already plotting what candy they're going to eat today. Thankfully neither one asked to have candy for breakfast.

And now we're planning the rest of our days here. We leave for home on Friday, which is coming up fast. I'm looking forward to being back home with Trim and an actual kitchen but I'll miss being here. It's been a fun trip.

2010-10-29T01:44:00.000-05:00

We've been in Hawaii for 9 days. We've been in a hotel and moved to a cottage on the beach. Now we're getting ready to move from the cottage back to a hotel for our last week here. I've taken a lot of pictures but still feel like I need to take more. We have really enjoyed our time at the cottage this week. Being able to just walk out your front door and onto the beach is wonderful. We even saw a couple of sea turtles riding the waves today.

I'll be posting pictures when we get back. There's not a lot of time for that right now. We're enjoying our mini-vacation and our time together, even though Josh is working during the day. It's been a much-needed getaway.

Oh, and Avery ate a slice-and-a-half of pizza for dinner tonight. If you know her, you know that's totally a big deal. She was proud of herself.

I've heard Hawaii's a nice place. I wouldn't know.

2010-10-21T03:05:00.000-05:00

We have officially been in Hawaii for two whole days. It is the end of our second day and although I really should be in bed, I can't sleep at the moment. For the most part the kids are doing well, except for the whole swollen eye thing on Callie. Oh, and her throwing up this morning. Oh, and Eli having diarrhea. But yeah, they're doing GREAT! (Callie is doing much better and Eli, well, we're just dealing with his poop. We have a lot of laundry to do.)

I wouldn't know what Hawaii even looks like because we haven't been anywhere yet. Except Target. And the NEX and commissary and MCX. Which were all great places (except the commissary) but we haven't been to any sites or the beach or anything. I am still stifling the urge to yell YOU'RE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD to Josh even though he is, in fact, on the correct side of the road because we are in the US, not Japan. I am so not ready to drive by myself yet.

The plane ride here was eventful and not at all something I'd like to do again by myself anytime soon. So, this is for you, NanaPoppyGrammyGrandpa: DON'T DIE WHILE JOSH IS TDY. I don't know if I could make it back on my own with three kids.

For now, I'm going to bed. I really am happy to be here. And tomorrow we're going to have fun whether I like it or not!

A different Pacific

2010-10-17T08:00:00.001-05:00

We're leaving for Hawaii soon. I am super excited and a little nervous about flying with the kids. Josh was going to be with us the whole flight. But, such is the military life, his flight was changed on the longest leg (8 hours) and now he is on a different flight from us going over there. We'll leave Japan about 20 minutes apart so it's not a huge time difference. I'm not really complaining because really, it could be a whole lot worse (like us NOT EVEN GOING) but it would have been nice to have another set of hands to help with the kids. I'm mostly nervous about how Eli will do. Since our flight leaves at night, close to his bedtime, I'm hoping he'll just take his last bottle and sleep through the whole flight. But what if I have to use the bathroom? What if the girls have to use the bathroom? What do I do? Do you think a flight attendant would just stand close to our seats to make sure Eli doesn't roll onto the floor while I'm occupied with the girls? I'm not sure exactly how I'll handle it without having Josh there to help. It'll be interesting to say the least.

This trip (vacation for me and the kids, work for Josh) to Hawaii was totally NOT planned. Josh knew he had a TDY coming up and when he mentioned he had his tickets finally, I asked if we could go with him. And it kind of snow-balled from there. And here we are, mere days away from being on our way to an island in the Pacific...

Huh.

Not much for getting away from reality, are we?

BUT. Hawaii is a totally different island in the Pacific from Japan! And the kids and I have never been there so it will be an exciting adventure. Plus, they totally have a Target there. It's all about the priorities.

Taking after Callie

2010-10-13T07:41:00.000-05:00

So far, with the exception of rice cereal, I haven't found any food that Eli doesn't like. He has tried pretty much every baby food I can find, including table food mashed up, and has loved all of it. He will even eat sushi rice! And he LOVES it!

Poor Avery is left out. By 7 months she had a limited supply of foods she would eat and none of them included jarred baby food. She had already begun her love of starchy foods. It was all downhill from there.

Eli is doing great, though, and has given me hope that he is actually going to eat like a normal baby. He still gets the same amount of bottles (3-6oz and 1-8oz) but now I've added a lunch feeding of table food and sometimes he gets a dinnertime feeding, too. Just this week he's been wanting to eat while we are eating instead of just sitting in his high chair playing with toys. Kinda nice to have a baby again who doesn't have food issues at such an early age.

Eli is also sitting up for longer periods of time, although he will still fall over if i just leave him alone. He still has to have the boppy behind him if I can't sit with him on the floor. His favorite toy is the Learning Table without the legs. It's just sitting on the floor and he will lean over to play with the "book" in the middle. He likes to flip the page back and forth. He also likes to spin the rattle thingy that plays music. Callie was doing about the same thing at this age. Eli's already been moving around some on his tummy, rolling around, scooting, however he can move. 99% of the time when I get him up in the mornings he is in a completely different position in the crib than when I left him.

Even though I try not to compare the kids, it's fun to see who was doing what when. With Avery doing everything so early, earlier than the average baby, I like looking back and seeing how they compare to what Eli's doing now. And I guess I need to get better at writing everything down!

Avery

2010-10-11T23:49:00.000-05:00

Avery has been...let's just say less than her usual pleasant self lately. She's been throwing fits and tantrums and lying to us for the past few weeks. Her lying is easy to catch-- she's four. She doesn't know how to lie very well yet but she is trying. Mostly it's lying about whether she has put her clothes away or washed her hands. Both very easy things to catch her on if we don't think she's telling the truth. Which unfortunately is most of the time. Just a few minutes ago she came back to me from using the bathroom and I asked her if she'd washed her hands. She said, "Yes. Smell them!"

I passed out from the funk that was coming from her fingers. It was GROSS. Her consequence for lying is having to go to her room for the rest of the day. Not sure if that's the right thing but that's what we're doing for now.

She's also been throwing fits in the car and not wanting to keep her seat belt on. She's in a booster and loves the freedom it gives her (reaching for a drink or toy, sitting beside her sister in the way back) but when she chooses to misbehave and unbuckle her seat belt, we make her sit in a 5-point harness car seat for a few days. She hates it. She hates that she has to wait for someone to unbuckle her so she can get out by herself. It's inconvenient for us, too, but manageable because it's a real lesson that she remembers every time we have to get in the car. One day this past weekend Avery refused to put her seat belt on after we had gone to the commissary. We had cold groceries in the back of a hot car and needed to get home. But she decided to carry her "I don't want to walk" whine into the car from the store and changed it into a full-blown tantrum. Josh and I both refuse to drive anywhere if everyone isn't buckled up. And since we couldn't sit in the commissary parking lot and wait for her to calm down, I sat in the back and strapped the kid into her booster seat myself. Then I had to keep her from unbuckling herself while she screamed the whole 5 minute ride home.

We went through this with Callie when she was three and four. Actually, it was me who went through this with Callie. Josh was deployed at the time and we were pretty sure that's why Callie was acting up. But with Avery? Who knows. We can't seem to figure it out. Please, PLEASE tell me I won't have to go through this with Eli, too. Please.

10/10/10

2010-10-11T00:49:00.000-05:00

Eli at 6 1/2 months:

He has the most nibble-able cheeks

And the bluest eyes

And the silliest expressions

And he loves to laugh

almost all the time.

My Truck

2010-10-07T03:26:00.001-05:00

Eli is just over six months old and he had his check-up on Monday the 4th. The boy is large. I mean, really. He's just big.

Weight: 20.6lbs
Height: 27.5in

He's pretty much grown out of his infant carrier, which really stinks because even though carrying him around in it is like carrying a boulder, it's so convenient. He still occasionally falls asleep in the car when we are traveling around his nap time and I can usually transfer him from the seat to the bed easily. Have a big-boy car seat is going to be tricky. I think I'll try to keep him in the infant seat for a little while longer.

On a side note, I always seem to get the same lady tech who checks all of the kids' vitals when we go in. For Eli's well-baby appointments I have to fill out a sheet answering yes or no questions on Eli's development. Things like "Is he sitting up?" or "Can he pick up a toy with one hand?" I do this every single time. I even filled one out for Avery at her 4yr check-up last year. But when I go into the vitals room, the tech will ask me the exact same questions I just spent 20 minutes of my life reading and answering. Really? Is it necessary to ask me these questions? Why don't you just read my answers? Anyway, I had to undress Eli completely and put him on the scale to be weighed. Everyone who has ever dealt with a baby boy knows you don't leave him without a diaper for very long. So you can guess what happened next. At least when he peed I had my hand covering the stream. I got pee all over my hand but it didn't go shooting across the room! So Eli's wet all over from the waist down with pee, I had pee all over one hand, and the tissue that covered the scale table was soaking wet. And the tech actually asked me to pick Eli up so she could change the paper. I told her, "Please just stand beside him so I can wash my hands." And when I was done I took my sweet time getting wipes out of the diaper bag so I could get him cleaned up. Then she asked me again to pick him up. I told her I wasn't going to pick him up when he had pee dripping off his legs. So I made her wait until I had wiped Eli off and picked him up before moving out of the way so she could change the paper. I should have said, "Why don't YOU pick him up and get pee all over your uniform while I change the paper?"

Eli was all smiles for the doc who just ate it up and kept saying Oh, he's a BIG baby! All I could do was agree because he is a BIG baby.

Just like Daddy

2010-09-28T00:20:00.000-05:00

When the girls were babies (and even now), they loved being tossed into the air by Josh. They'd squeal and giggle and beg for more, even though Josh's arms would be screaming. This is completely opposite of how Josh was as a baby/kid. The girls' grandpa will be quick to tell you, anytime he tried to throw Josh up in the air, Josh would frantically grab onto his shirt or arm and not let go. He hated it. Most kids love it. Josh HATED it. He still has a fear of falling from heights and yet, he's a pilot. Figure that one out.

Josh decided today he'd toss Eli into the air. The first throw Eli was a little unsure of what was going on. By the second throw Eli was pretty sure of what was going on and he did not like it one bit. Which led Josh to exclaim, "He IS my kid!"

And of course, being the parents that we are, we videotaped it.

And then I had to do it, too, just to be sure it wasn't some random fluke. And yep, Eli still doesn't like it.

Sorry, kiddo. You'll laugh at this when you get older, I promise!

Someone likes the swing

2010-09-20T07:40:00.000-05:00

Three weeks and a day

2010-09-17T07:35:00.000-05:00

Just realized tonight that it is September 17th. We've had a lot going on today and I'm surprised I even remembered. This day was supposed to be Callie's birthday. Her due date, when I excitedly looked it up on BabyCenter.com's pregnancy calendar, was permanently seared into my brain. My first baby (well...technically second baby) due on the 17th. SO EXCITING.

And then she up and came three weeks and a day early, just under 6lbs and needing to be whisked to the NICU right away. For all the stress her birth brought, including the days/weeks/months that followed, I'm glad she wasn't born today. That would mean three weeks and a day less that we could spend together.

Superhero

2010-09-16T07:40:00.000-05:00

Tonight Callie joined me in Eli's room as I got him ready for bed. I started wrestling him into his jammie pants and she said, "I wonder what Eli wants to be when he grows up?" "I don't know," I answered. "He could be anything, right?" I was beginning to pull his arm through the sleeve of his shirt and Avery piped up from the bathroom: ELI WANTS TO BE BATMAN! He told me!

Callie at seven

2010-09-14T07:21:00.001-05:00

Callie had a well-check appointment last week. She was a little hesitant (I had to pull her into the vitals room) because she thought she was getting shots. Once she found out there were NO shots and Mama was "for real life" not joking, she calmed down. At seven years old she's growing just fine, although the tech measured her an inch shorter than what she really is and I had to get the doctor to correct it in her chart. Gotta make sure she's on track to ride all the rides at Disney World, right?

Weight: 41 pounds
Height: 47 inches
Head: still big
Eyes: not so good

After the preliminary eye test (cover one eye, read the smallest line) there was enough of a discrepancy from last year that the doc suggested making an appointment with the optometrist. I am hoping this was just a fluke and that her eyes were just being funny that day. She's always had very good vision, seeing things very far away that I had no idea were even there. I started wearing glasses in first grade. Callie's in second grade. At least she's past the point where I was when I got my first pair. But we aren't so sure what this eye appointment is going to show. There is absolutely nothing wrong with wearing glasses (please refer to ANY PICTURE OF ME) but we just didn't want any of the kids to have to deal with the hassle. I was hoping Josh's eagle-eye vision he inherited from his mom would be passed down to all three kids. I guess we'll find out in a couple weeks.

Other than the eye thing Callie is doing great. She grew two inches over the last year (no wonder her pants from last year are too short) and gained two pounds. But still a stick-skinny kiddo who could eat pizza for every meal, just like every other kid I know.

5 months, 2 weeks, 2 days

2010-09-10T08:09:00.002-05:00

Three updates

2010-09-10T08:04:00.000-05:00

First, today was Avery's very first day of preschool. She had been looking forward to this day since March, when I signed her up. She asked me every week if this was the week she'd start school after we got her backpack in the mail in May. And today she finally started.

I asked her when I picked her up this afternoon if she missed me. She thought for a second and answered, "Not really. I knew you were coming to pick me up later."

Well. Just rip my heart out and stomp all over it then. I missed YOU, Avery. Eli and I didn't quite know what to do with ourselves once we got home and you weren't there. I didn't have anyone to lean on me while I sat on the couch. I didn't have anyone to talk to, who actually talked back to me without drooling, and I didn't have anyone ask me non-stop, "What can I do NOW, Mama?" Thankfully preschool is only Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I think I'll be okay.

Eli can now sit himself up from a leaning-over-his-feet position. His abs are finally strong enough to put his upper body into an upright position, even if only for a few seconds. He likes sitting like this and playing with toys. But the minute he looks up or turns his head, he falls over. Still. With as fat as this kid is, I'd say he's doing pretty well.

The biggest girl has picked ~~junk~~ a treasure out of the treasure box two weeks in a row. This means she hasn't had to move her name out of the green zone for two weeks. She likes following the rules, especially when she gets rewarded for it.

So. Three kids, three updates of some sort. It's been an exciting day in this house. Be sure to say that last sentence in your best sarcastic voice! Because everyone knows this is the most boring house EVER.

Dear Eli,

2010-09-06T03:17:00.000-05:00

Seriously? You think you could possibly take a nap for longer than 30 minutes at a time? Mama's got lots of work to do.

Love you!

Birthday pictures

2010-09-02T00:04:00.000-05:00

opening presents first thing in the morning


she chose McDonald's for her birthday lunch

at COCO K's for a pedicure!

Avery got her nails done, too, along with 3 other friends

fairies

her second party on Saturday with neighbor friends

ran out of candles...oops

goody "bags" were glow sticks for everyone

Dear Callie,

2010-09-01T23:20:00.000-05:00

You turned seven years old last Thursday. It's taken me this long to have a moment to start writing this letter and I'm sure any minute your baby brother will interrupt me. I don't get much time to myself lately; I know you understand.

The months leading up to your birthday have been all about Eli. Getting him on a schedule. Feeding him. Changing him. Getting him to sleep. Waking him up. Playing with him. It's been a near-constant Everything Eli since he's been born and I am sorry for that. But you, sweet girl, have rarely noticed. Every now and then you'll say, "Why does Eli get all the attention?" or "Eli gets kissed and held all the time." It breaks my heart that you feel that way but it doesn't last long. And usually some extra hugs and kisses will set your mood right.

That being said, you absolutely LOVE being a big sister. Not only to Avery, but to Eli as well. You love holding him and talking to him. He's big enough now that you can move around while you're holding him. You're more confident in your strength and ability to control how he's held in your arms. In the mornings you love to give him kisses and tell him good morning before you do anything else. Same thing at night, right before bed. It is obvious how much you love your little brother.

This summer you grew taller but not bigger around so your pants still fall off of you. Size 7 is great in length but too big in the waist. When did this happen? I blinked and suddenly you aren't a little girl anymore.

You've made new friends this summer with our neighbors, and became better friends with another neighbor across the street. You're still learning socially-acceptable behavior (no one likes to be bossed around, you recently discovered) and are getting better at making sure everyone is included when you're playing. After having a few times of being left out by other friends, you make it a point to include others. That trait will serve you well when you get older.

In January of this year your reading took off and now you read anything and everything. You got a few new books over the summer and often will read the entire book in one day. I was (and still am) the same way when I was your age. I can't wait to introduce you to the Chronicles of Narnia. I can only hope you will enjoy them as much as I have and still do. On Sundays you pull out the Mini Page from the newspaper first thing and read the jokes to us. Avery doesn't usually understand the jokes but she laughs just the same. Having you read to her makes her day every time.

The 30th was your first day of second grade. We didn't know much about your teacher, only that she was there last year so she is a familiar face. After school each day you have been telling me about your classroom and your whole face lit up when describing the class library. There are SO! MANY! Magic Treehouse books in there! You'll be able to read them all year long! You are very excited about that.

There are so many things about you that are just so wonderful: You are beautiful. Your freckles jump out at me every time I look at you and I love it. You still have blonde hair and I love that, too. You love dresses still, and have a few favorites that if we're not careful, you'd wear every day. You love to get dirty (big change from when you were little and hated having your hands dirty) and you love looking at bugs. You have an amazing memory when you want to remember things...not so amazing when you're told to do something you don't want to do. You love Avery so much and also love to annoy her. You like to hug all of us all the time. You are very emotional and hate goodbyes. You hate when your sister is hurt and crying (you cried when she got her 4yr shots last week). You like to blame me for pretty much everything that goes wrong, even if I was nowhere near when it happened. We're still working on that with you. Daddy rarely does anything wrong in your eyes. You usually cry when he leaves for TDYs, no matter how short or long they are. You never want to be away from me for too long. Your imagination is endless and usually involves a fairy, a princess, a mom, a baby, or any combination of those things. You still like to dress up and you love gymnastics even though you are not so good at it...yet. You willingly say prayers at night now and you like to read your Bible on your own.

Six was a good year overall and so far seven is even better. You've gotten bigger, more responsible, more freedom.

We love you, Callabelle. So, SO much.
Happy Birthday!

Love, Mama

Turning 7

2010-08-26T07:29:00.000-05:00

Happy birthday, Callabelle! A real post will be coming soon but I wanted to be sure to get this on here TODAY. The birthday festivities will last three days this year so it'll take awhile to process everything.

I can't believe you're SEVEN!

Two girls

2010-08-21T02:33:00.000-05:00

I did an impromptu photo session today with W (scheduled on Thursday night with a Facebook email to my friend, T: Hey, can I borrow your kid?) and Callie, too. Avery was supposed to come but she was sick this morning. She's feeling much better now. We went out early this morning, before businesses started opening, and got some shots in different places. Callie and W did great even though it was already so very hot at 8 o'clock in the morning.

Best invention EVER

2010-08-19T08:35:00.000-05:00

Thank you Nana and Poppy! Eli loves his razberry teether. We're both happy you found it.

Update

2010-08-18T01:21:00.000-05:00

For two nights Eli has woken up dry and happy. His diaper is filled to its maximum capacity, but his jammies and sheet are dry. So apparently the one-size-bigger diapers are working. I am still looking for the Huggies Overnites, but I'm not sure now that we'll get them. I may just buy the regular brand diapers we usually get in a size bigger and continue to use that method. Because right now what we're doing works, and we're not spending any extra money on products that might not keep his clothes dry.

It's been nice rolling him over in the mornings and finding him dry and happy.

There's always a but

2010-08-16T07:41:00.002-05:00

We are still dealing with the good problem of Eli soaking his jammies and crib sheet by sleeping on his tummy all night. Last night he slept from 8:30 until 7am. It's hard to type this because I am SO doing the happy dance right this very second!

But.

You knew that was coming. I'm getting a little tired of having to wash those cute little jammies every day. Plus the sheet. Plus the waterproof pad underneath the sheet. Plus Eli himself, because just the smallest sniff of pee makes me want to gag. So I did a little searching today on the Internets.

First I emailed my sister-in-law and asked her what she used with her boys. And I put in my email that I had no idea how to even Google it because what would I search for? Pee pads for boys? Leak guards? I didn't know. So instead I Googled "diaper leaks" and lo! I found a thread on a message board from babycenter.com where parents were discussing that very thing.

Some suggested diaper doubles from Babies R Us. I looked those up and didn't really think they'd catch all the pee. I'm serious, Eli releases a rushing river when he sleeps at night. Other parents were talking about using Huggies Overnites. That sounded like something I could handle.

And how stupid of me to think our lovely military facilities here would even have Huggies Overnites in stock. OF COURSE they didn't have any! They didn't even have our brand of diapers in the next size up (I heard that works, too). They didn't even have any HUGGIES of any kind!

I must be insane because I STILL expect the BX to carry certain items because duh, everyone uses this or that but no, they WON'T HAVE IT and WON'T EVER HAVE IT. I would love to talk to the person who buys inventory for this BX. Because I really, really think he must live in the North Pole year round and doesn't have a wife and has no clue about the needs of kids or babies and thinks this TROPICAL island has temperatures below 0* in the winter because I saw heavy coats last winter with fur-lined hoods. It doesn't get below 50* here. And that's in the middle of winter on the coldest night of the year.

Whew. Long but much needed tangent.

Anyway, Josh got the best thing he could: the smallest package of Exchange Select (the generic brand) size 4 diapers (one size bigger than Eli's normal size). We're hoping for the best tonight. The size 4 was HUGE on him compared to the 3's but maybe it will work. Maybe it will be high enough in the front to catch all the pee and keep him from wetting his firetruck jammies. Maybe tomorrow I won't have extra laundry to do!

A good problem to have

2010-08-10T23:37:00.000-05:00

We've been letting Eli cry at night to let him get back to sleep on his own. It's been hard. Really hard. And for a few nights in a row I ended up having to get him because he was screaming and wouldn't stop. It would take forever for him to calm down and go back to sleep and I SO wanted to just give him a bottle to help make the process go faster.

I didn't. It was hard, but I didn't. In fact, after 3 nights of waking up at 4am, Josh and I decided I should give him a bottle, just to get him to calm down quicker. And wouldn't you know it? He slept until 6am, never waking up. So that idea went out the window.

I know he's teething. He's drooling and chewing on everything he can get his little hands on. I think that's what has been waking him up at night so 3 nights ago I gave him some Tylenol before bed. He slept all night long. Gave him Tylenol the next night, too. And he slept all night long, waking up at 7am. Last night Josh put him to bed while I picked up Callie from Vacation Bible School. He forgot the Tylenol. Didn't matter, because Eli slept until 6:30am, waking happily and talking to himself until I went in to get him.

But wait, there is a problem to all this sleeping through the night. It's a good one, I promise! But a problem nonetheless. Or maybe more of an inconvenience. Even though he is sleeping through the night, he does wake up every now and then and flip over to his tummy. Then he'll fall back to sleep like that, which is usually how I find him in the mornings. And when I flip him back over to pick him up, I'm rewarded with pee-soaked pajamas and crib sheet.

So. Gross.

And there's nothing really I can do about it. I didn't go through this with my girls because well, they're girls. They're made different. And Eli's diaper just can't hold the amount of pee that kid has during the night. Poor thing has had to endure a change of clothes first thing in the morning for a few days straight. And I've had to wash sheets, jammies, and mattress pads for a few days straight. But you know? I'd rather have an extra load of laundry than have to get up in the middle of the night. Inconvenient, yes, but very much one I'll deal with.

The goggles did it

2010-08-03T23:39:00.001-05:00

Today (August 4th) marks Callie's 11th official swim lesson here on the island. Her first session ended two weeks ago and I contemplated not signing her or Avery up again. It's just hard getting out of the house by 8:45am every single day of the week (except Friday). I enjoy my leisurely mornings of not getting dressed or showered until oh, 10am? 11am? never? But I knew they both needed to continue the lessons or what little progress they made would be lost.

Both girls refused to put their heads underwater. Callie's fear rubbed off on Avery and they just would not voluntarily go under. Callie tried to do all her swimming with her head above the water but of course she sank like a rock. It just wasn't working.

Today was different. We brought her new pink goggles that I bought on Monday afternoon. She tried them on this morning before class and complained about them being too tight. But once we got to the pool she put them on anyway.

I watched her as she dunked her head just a little. Then she went under a little more. Then finally she popped up out of the water and went completely under. And continued to pop up and go under five or so more times. The goggles worked and kept the water out of her eyes and suddenly she could see. I walked over and gave her a high-five and she showed me again how she could go under all the way.

Then, at 9:33am (I know because I looked at my phone), I watched as my fearful almost-7-year-old swam under the water to her teacher. When she stood up she had a huge grin on her face and I was practically jumping up and down, hitting Avery on the arm, "Did you see Callie? Did you see her? She swam under water! She was under the water swimming!"

It made my day, the coach's day, and most certainly Callie's day. I texted Josh and took a picture of Callie and afterwards we went for ice cream.

My girl can SWIM.
Way to go, Callabelle!

everyone should have pink goggles

Dear Eli,

2010-07-30T07:01:00.000-05:00

On the 25th you turned 4 months old. You're lucky it's only taken me 5 days to get this done. I won't mention the fact that I started it 4 days before your 4th month birthday. Shh.

You've been chewing on your fingers for about two months now. Meaning any time you are not eating, you're chewing. This does not mean you are still hungry. You let me know that several times after I kept trying to give you more to eat and you kept pushing the bottle out of your mouth because you wanted to chew on your fingers. Sometimes Mama's not so bright.

Your left hand is usually the one that gets chewed on the most, which gives me an odd sense of satisfaction that maybe, just maybe, you'll be left-handed like me. You look just like Daddy, you gotta give me something here, kid.

Also for two months you've been drooling, blowing spit bubbles, smiling, and trying to laugh. You have a chuckle that is reserved only for your sisters but it's not a full-blown laugh yet. I'm still waiting for that one. You've kind of discovered your toes, but either they aren't very interesting (I don't know why they wouldn't be, they're 10 feet long--you could write a research paper in perfect penmanship with your toes. Really!) or you just don't want to put forth the effort. I see you reach and then right before you grab them you just kinda go eh, whatever, and lay your feet back down. Laziness. Now THAT you got from me.

We've been to the pool, you didn't like it the first time but the second time it was all right. No squeals of delight but no whimpering either. You're trying to hold your bottle. That's something you started just this past week. Except by holding your bottle I mean batting at it with your hands and then pushing it away while still trying to suck on the nipple. Can I just say right now how annoying that is? Because IT IS ANNOYING. Learn to hold your own bottle! And fix me a sandwich while you're at it, 'kay?

You're still not sleeping through the night. I know you can do it because you have many times since the day you came home from the hospital. The problem with you not sleeping through the night is that you're not waking up at the same time every night. Sometimes it's 2am, sometimes it's 3:38am, sometimes later. When Daddy left for a TDY last week I started letting you cry, thinking you'd eventually fall back to sleep. In 7 days, you fell back to sleep once. ONCE. Then Daddy came home and each night since, you have woken up and cried or whined off and on for 30 minutes, which is my limit. I can't go longer than that because my logical side smacks me in the head and yells at me to fix you a bottle because the sooner you eat, the quicker you and I both can get back to sleep. So yeah. Not sleeping through the night yet. Work on that, will ya?

This is a good place to say that really you don't need that middle-of-the-night feeding. You are a tank. Built like a Mac truck, nice and solid. At your four month check-up you were 17.2lbs. HUGE! But you're also tall so that evens you out a little. Your thighs are chunky and full of rolls. It's obvious you don't need that bottle.

Just today Daddy gave you one grain of cooked rice to see how you would react. He said you didn't make a face but instead moved it around your mouth while still chewing on your fingers. Eventually you swallowed it and he gave you a total of 5 grains of rice, all at different times. That's been your first taste of real food and so far, GREAT! Next up...TEN grains of rice! Think you can handle all the excitement?

You are changing so much so fast lately that I don't think I can remember everything. You reach for things, anything, reach for toys, grab toys. You put everything in your mouth, although you prefer soft toys right now. You are just beginning to chew on the harder rubbery pieces on toys because it feels better on your gums. I still rock you to sleep for you naps. You snuggle down into the crook of my arm, almost in a nursing position, and sometime you will suck on my shirt but usually it's your fingers (you really do chew on them all. the. time). Most of the time you're asleep in less than 10 seconds but I hold you a little longer, studying your face and marveling at how long your eyelashes are, the perfect curve of your chin, your little nose. It's the only time I truly get to look at you without interruption and even though the "experts" say that babies need to learn to get to sleep on their own, I'm not willing to give that time up yet. You are my last baby, my only boy. I want to hold onto that time for as long as you will let me. Plus it gives me a little break from the laundry or dishes or telling the girls to PICK UP YOUR TOYS NOW. I'll take what I can get.

I love you sweet boy. I can't wait to see what adventures this month will bring.
Love, Mama

On the back burner

2010-07-25T08:47:00.000-05:00

July is full of celebrations. Not just the 4th of July, but there are so many people in our families that have birthdays in July that I'd probably miss someone if I tried to count. Not to mention the family of friends down the street whose kids' birthdays are in order of birth, oldest to youngest. We've got cousins and nephews and a niece and a sister-in-law all celebrating birthdays this month, it's just crazy.

Sandwiched in between all those birthdays is a very special day to me and Josh. And well, to Callie, Avery, and Eli, too. Because without this day they wouldn't be here.

Twelve years ago Josh and I were married in North Carolina. We started our life (officially) together on this very day, in front of our families and friends. And here we are, 12 years later, in a different country with a life I love.

Lots of things have changed since that day. Back then, we both weighed.....less. I was supporting the two of us while Josh finished his last semester in college. That's crazy to believe we lived on a beginning teacher's salary for almost 7 months. Back then, that was about $1100 a month. Rent was $535. We only had two kitties, Radar and Piper. We drove Josh's car, a Nissan NX, and bought me a new car, a Honda Civic because my old Nissan Sentra was popping out of 5th gear all the time. I don't know how we afforded that car. I taught 3rd grade at a German-immersion elementary school in Charlotte and loved it.

Once Josh graduated and was commissioned in December of 1998, things started happening. We moved to our first base, still in North Carolina. We were able to start saving money because both of us were working. Now here we are, EIGHT (!) moves later, me a stay-at-home mom to 3 amazing kids, we have a dog that's weathered ups and downs with us, including having two other dogs at one time or another, we still have Radar and Piper who I miss terribly (they're living with Josh's parents right now), and Josh is crazy busy with work and graduate school.

So while everyone else is celebrating birthdays (happy birthday, everyone! we love you!) we celebrated our anniversary. Most everyone forgets unless we I remind them. That's okay. We have 3 kids who won't ever let us forget.

Happy anniversary, Josh! I love you.

In the grass

2010-07-24T07:47:00.002-05:00

Try to look past the screaming yellow Bumbo seat.

Three days before 4 months

2010-07-22T08:15:00.000-05:00

Eli rolled over twice from his back to his stomach today. Once he got there he smiled and tried to turn his head backwards to see me because I was making all kinds of commotion, clapping my hands, yelling, whooping and hollering. And then he realized his left arm was stuck under him but he stayed happy. He hasn't rolled over since then but now he knows he can do it! The girls like to help him along now by nudging his legs so he'll go all the way over. We've had a few talks about that. I am glad they get to see him do all these things. It's fun sharing in the excitement with them.

Ham

2010-07-19T07:30:00.000-05:00

The most annoying sound in the world (right now, anyway)

2010-07-13T23:03:00.001-05:00

The girls and boy, circa 1984

2010-07-13T22:48:00.004-05:00

found a cool app for my iphone and I can even shake it like a Polaroid.
I LOVE THIS PHONE.

Quick

2010-07-10T20:37:00.000-05:00

Grammy and Grandpa have left and we are getting back to some kind of normal. Of course the baby doesn't want to be put down and suddenly I'm left with 3 kids who want me to entertain them. What is THAT all about? No, really, we had a great time with the grandparents and are looking forward to our trip back to the States in December. But now I have to go because one girl is sick, one girl is getting ready to leave for church with Daddy, and one boy is crying to be fed. Yep. We're back to normal.

Random update and yays

2010-07-06T02:56:00.000-05:00

We've been busy around here, taking the grandparents sight-seeing and hanging out around the house. The girls have been having fun playing with Grammy and Grandpa. I'm pretty sure they're going to be bored once they leave and only have me to play with. I'm just not that exciting.

Eli has been sleeping in his crib whenever we're at home. It's actually going very well and I am happy to say he mostly sleeps for at least an hour. He's still taking anywhere from 3 to 4 naps so he is still napping in his car seat sometimes. But for the most part he's in his crib. Yay!
We have new neighbors diagonally behind us and THEY HAVE A LITTLE GIRL. We were SO excited to find out their daughter is 4, only a month younger than Avery (but very much bigger than Avery) and their middle son is going into second grade, just like Callie. He's almost a year older than her, though, because he has a late birthday, after the cut-off. But still. Another 2nd-grader and a 4-year-old near us. Yay!
I met a potential babysitter and her mom last night. She's 15 and has been sitting for a few years. The great thing is she lives just a couple houses down from us and can walk--we won't have to pick her up and bring her to our house. Plus she's experienced with babies. So now that's TWO sitters that live right near us. Yay!
We're trying to finalize our plans for flying back to the States for Christmas. We are limited on time because of Callie's school schedule but we're almost done figuring out the dates. We also have to find a dog-sitter for Trim but also have some potential names from a neighbor. Yay!
Yay!

They're here!

2010-07-06T02:41:00.000-05:00

Okay, so they've been here for almost two weeks and are now preparing to leave on Friday. We've been busy playing and doing touristy things and playing and holding Eli and playing. It's been fun!

Hijacked by the 6 year old

2010-06-26T02:32:00.002-05:00

Callie took Daddy's iphone for a little spin:

Fail

2010-06-22T02:17:00.003-05:00

Take a nap in the crib? Huh? What's that mean?

I have been really trying to get Eli to nap in his crib, I promise. But today, well, today just wasn't going the way I wanted it to and he didn't nap on our morning errand and then he was cranky and fell asleep on my shoulder once and I tried to put him down in his bed, I really did, but he slept for all of 20 minutes and then woke up in a bad mood and I tried to wash the dishes that really need to be washed but he had a blow out diaper (a MAJOR blow out diaper--it was gross) and was fussy and sucking on his hands so I made him a bottle and he ate but then he didn't go back to sleep and I was just confused with what he wanted so I sat down at the computer and had him on my shoulder to burp and suddenly there he was. Asleep.

I couldn't resist holding him while he napped because my goodness look at those cheeks how can anyone resist them?

And now he's in his little rocking chair, in the living room, still asleep. Cheek-less. Because I ate them.

I should be washing the approximately eleventy-billion gladware containers from my refrigerator while Eli's sleeping. But you see what I'm doing instead.

Operation TANITC, part 3

2010-06-20T22:19:00.003-05:00

First of all, Eli slept ALL NIGHT LONG. From 8:45pm until 6:30am. It was great! And now he's napping for the second time in his crib. He's not sleeping as long as I'd like, but at least he's napping longer than 15 minutes. Today it was long enough for the girls and I to enjoy our lunch without me rushing through to get to him.

Avery-ism

2010-06-19T05:19:00.000-05:00

Avery just used a telescope to listen to Eli's heartbeep.

Operation TANITC, part 2

2010-06-19T01:34:00.004-05:00

Thursday was pretty good...Eli took an hour nap in his crib. But that was it. And yesterday, Friday, we went to a hotel pool to swim so he slept in the car. Today, though, he's on his 2nd nap in his crib. This morning he slept for about an hour and now he's sleeping again. I figured out that it helps to wrap him up in a blanket like I do at night so his legs will be nice and warm. We'll see how long he sleeps this time.

Operation Take a Nap in the Crib, part 1

2010-06-17T00:49:00.004-05:00

So I figured I'd better get Eli to nap in his crib before the grandparents arrive next Thursday. He has always hated napping in his crib. He'd rather sleep in his rocking chair out in the living room, where Avery and I hang out during the day while Callie's at school. Or he'd stay asleep in his car seat if we had to run errands. But with company coming, his napping place needed to change. So right now he's in his room, sleeping. He's been there for about an hour and I just jinxed myself because I hear him crying.

Dear Eli,

2010-06-14T23:51:00.003-05:00

Eleven weeks and 5 days ago you joined our family. And wow, it's hard for me to believe it's been that long. And also: Good grief, it's only been 11 weeks? You are your own person, believe me. From the night we brought you home, you got yourself onto a bed time routine and have stuck to it like glue. Which I am totally not complaining about. You saved me and Daddy a lot of work, buddy. I'll take it. You also only wake up once at night, but that varies from 1:30am til 6:20am. Just depends on what kind of mood you're in, I guess. Because of that, your feedings throughout the day are not at the same time from day to day. I still have to figure you'll eat about every three hours, but when those three hours start depends on when you wake up for the day.

These past few weeks you have been smiling more and more, especially at Avery. She is the one person who can get you to smile almost instantly, besides me, of course. She loves to make you smile and then announce proudly, "Mama, Eli smiled at me!" She has the high-pitched, squealy voice down pat and asks you all kinds of questions. You always respond with an ooh or aah or aaahoooh and a huge grin. You're on the verge of laughing, not quite there yet, and I am betting Avery will be the one who has the privilege of hearing it first. Biggest sister Callie is a close second to getting you to smile, but you don't see her all day long like you do Avery. Once school gets out I'm sure that will change. Your sisters love you so much and want to hug and kiss you all the time. Daddy and I make sure to let them love on you as much as possible.

You have the cute, chubby little cheeks that are irresistible to kisses. The other day a friend was talking to you and you kind of half-smiled at her. She said it must be such hard work lifting those cheeks up to smile. She was rewarded with a giant open-mouthed grin, which made us all laugh. Already you're a crowd pleaser.

In the last two days you have started lifting your head away from the back of your car seat, trying to sit up. You also have started lifting your feet into the air. Any day now I'm sure you'll grab your feet and bring them to your mouth. You're already doing that with Manny Go Go Bananas and some of your other toys. Not everything goes in your mouth yet. We're already prepping the girls to keep their little toys away from you.

I know you won't remember any of this and probably won't care, but I have stopped nursing you. I decided to stop yesterday after I went to the doctor. I have a very stubborn infection in my milk ducts and every time you nurse or I pump, the infection is aggravated and gets worse. Medicine isn't working and I just don't want you to continue to get that medicine into your system, no matter how small the amount. So for me to not be in pain, I had to stop. You've been having only bottles since Saturday, and while you don't really care because either way you're getting food, I am sad. I miss nursing you, miss seeing your face, miss the mess you made with getting milk all over your mouth, cheeks, and chin, and your look of content when you were done. Unfortunately my plan for nursing you a long time was not God's plan and I have accepted that. You'll be just fine with formula. I just wish I could've nursed a little longer.

You are a good baby. You do cry, you are fussy, you don't take good naps sometimes. But you are a good baby and we love you so much. I'm so glad you are a part of our family.

Love,
Mama

Three kiddos

2010-06-11T02:03:00.001-05:00

Just some things

2010-06-06T01:31:00.002-05:00

Josh and I agreed this time around that I would get up with Eli at night and he would get the girls up in the mornings (since I was preoccupied with the boy) and get them ready for school. It has worked out pretty well, I think, although I miss out on some time with the girls. On June 18th that will change, though, because that's the first day of summer vacation! I never thought I'd look forward to that as much as I do.

So being the one person who has really been taking care of Eli's needs for the past two months (Daddy does what he can when he's home, but it's mostly me), I've figured out a few things about this boy.

He sucks on his fingers at night when he wakes up. And he's not quiet about it. He is literally trying to eat his fingers he's so hungry and yet, he doesn't cry.
The monotony of doing the same thing every. single. morning around 5am is getting boring. Eli likes to suddenly smile at me while I'm changing his diaper. It always makes me smile back, which makes him wiggle with happiness, which makes me smile more. Amazing how babies can lift your mood instantly.
He does not like napping in his crib. Car seat? Yes. Rocking chair? Yes.
He likes to be swaddled at night, but only from the armpits down. He likes having his arms free. And a lot of times I find him with the blanket completely kicked off of him, he's moved around so much.
Eli does not like tummy time but I make him do it anyway.
Avery can ALWAYS make him smile. Callie's a close, close second.
When he's tired, he wants to be held with his head nestled into the crook of my elbow, snuggled up on my body. And he's getting out of the need to be bounced, and likes rocking more.
If he's crying and fussy, don't hold him on your shoulder. He hates that. Just FYI.
He spits up. A lot.
He also burps. A lot.
He grew too long for 0-3mos sleepers at 6wks old. He also grew out of 0-3mos clothes at 7wks. I'm glad most of those clothes were bought used.
The Ergo baby carrier doesn't always put him to sleep like it used to when he was teeny tiny. Now it'll put him into a lull and as soon as I unsnap the back straps, he's wide awake.
He loves to nurse. I love watching his eyes roll back as he settles down to nurse. He very rarely falls asleep nursing, unlike his sisters. I just wish nursing wasn't so painful right now.
He still balls his hands into little fists when he eats, either nursing or from a bottle.
A bath will always calm him down.
He is definitely loved.

*All of the above is subject to change at a moment's notice. *

No, Eli is not Japanese.

2010-05-30T07:49:00.004-05:00

I've had quite a few people ask me if Eli has dual citizenship: US and Japan. Since he was born in Japan, doesn't it make sense that he would be a Japanese citizen?

Um. No?

Really, he is an American citizen and ONLY an American citizen. The US military bases here are considered US soil and US laws apply. Like seat belt laws. If you're not wearing a seat belt, you'll get pulled over on base. Off base? Probably not. If your kid is standing up in the car, or if you're holding your baby in your lap in the front seat and you're off base (I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've seen locals doing that with their babies), you're probably not going to get a ticket. Do it on base and you could lose your driving privileges or even your kids for a short amount of time.

So for babies born at the hospital on the Navy base down the street from us, they are all American citizens as long as both parents are American citizens. If one is American and one is Japanese, then the kids will have dual citizenship.

But Eli, so far as we can tell, is not Japanese. ha ha ha

Me

2010-05-29T07:17:00.002-05:00

I'm still not completely better. I talked to a new doctor, have new meds, and am trying some different things at home to help with the nursing pain. Obviously I'm still nursing the boy. It's been difficult, had a breakdown this morning which upset Eli which made me feel even worse but, well. That's what happened. I don't have mastitis so that's good. The problem is the doc isn't 100% sure of what IS wrong, so we're going at it a little differently than before. I'm not on antibiotics anymore, which is good because I don't think my tummy could handle anymore of that. They weren't working anyway so I'd rather not take them if they're not doing the job. I am determined to keep nursing but really? It's not supposed to be this difficult. I keep thinking if only I can get through this part, it'll be better. Now I'm just wondering when this part will be over.

Your prayers are very much appreciated and needed. I want to keep nursing Eli. I know it's the best thing for him. We are supplementing, but not much. He's getting more Mama's milk (as the girls call it) than formula. He weighs 13lbs at 2 months (75th percentile)! So something's going right. I just want it to be easier. Please.

It rained a little today

2010-05-29T07:10:00.002-05:00

Eli was strapped to me in the Ergo Baby carrier so it was a little awkward holding the umbrella and Trim's leash AND take video of the girl in the rain. After I shot the video Callie stepped off the curb and the water was so deep it got into her boots. Which she thought was hilarious.

Avery was back at the house waiting for us. She was pouting and complaining because she was wet, even though she was the one who wanted to go out to play in the rain to begin with.

For Nana and Poppy

2010-05-27T07:12:00.002-05:00

Although I'm not big on the whole "boys wear clothes with trucks and cars and puppies and baseballs" and "girls wear ladybugs, butterflies, ponies, and PINK", I don't have much choice in the matter. Most of Eli's clothes have those things that I mentioned above, mostly because I bought 99% of his clothes second-hand. This outfit was given to him from his Nana and Poppy. And yes, it has baseballs all over it. But the little plaid shorts more than make up for that.

Avery-isms

2010-05-27T07:08:00.002-05:00

This girl is full of them lately. Two of my favorites:

Avery: Mama, were you ever a baby like Eli?

Me: Yes, I was.

A: But who had you? Who was your mama?

M: Nana is my mom and Poppy is my dad.

A: Oh. *thinks for a minute* But when Nana had you, me and Callie weren't there...right?

------
Me: Avery, go ahead and read for a little bit while I get Eli ready for bed.

Avery: Okay. WAIT! I can't read!

Still

2010-05-22T07:52:00.003-05:00

Still sick. Still exhausted. Still in pain. Still overwhelmed. Still taking meds that don't seem to be working. Still can't remember what day it is or the date. Still here.

No more, thanks. Really.

2010-05-19T07:10:00.002-05:00

I am pretty much done. A whole bunch of crap has been thrown at me since Sunday and seriously? I'm done. Really.

Josh is at work and can't help out like he wants to. Callie is sad that he's not able to be around much and so she misbehaves at home, cries at school. The van battery was dead Monday afternoon, discovered only after I had loaded up a hungry and crying Eli and two girls ready to go to Callie's gymnastics class. So then I had to unload a hungry and crying Eli, one eh, whatever girl, and one very angry girl that she had to miss gymnastics. And then I had to pay $145 for a new battery. Avery was sick on Tuesday so I had to miss MOPS. Then I had to go to the commissary where she promptly threw up right after walking through the door (thankfully I had a towel with me for that very reason). I made a very sick Avery lay in the cart while I raced around the store, picking out things I needed for the next few days. I also have a bad cold. And I'm tired. And now I have mastitis. Again.

One small light in all this: Eli slept through the night last night (Tuesday night). Went to bed at about 9:30pm, didn't wake up until 5:15am. Either that or I slept through him crying at 2am and he cried himself back to sleep. I doubt that happened, though, because I wake up to the slightest sigh he makes through the monitor. So he slept through the night. Probably won't happen again but that's okay, I needed that sleep last night. Thank you, Lord!

Did I mention I have mastitis again? And a cold? And I am exhausted beyond belief, even with having slept all night long? Oh, wait, I didn't sleep all night long because at some point I really thought I was dying because my shoulder blade was hurting so badly. I couldn't get comfortable and in the wee hours of the morning, my bleary-eyed mind kept going through the unimaginable: I have a blood clot in my shoulder. I have a flesh-eating insect boring into my skin. Maybe the giant spider came back to life and bit me, revenge for smashing its guts all over the bathtub?

It was bad. I even got up at midnight and googled "pain in left shoulder blade". Went back to bed and didn't wake up again until 4:50am, when I suddenly woke up and thought, Eli's not awake, is he even alive?

I seriously need some sleep although what I'd really REALLY like is for this mastitis to GO AWAY and never come back. NEVER. I'm so done with all of this.

Smiling

2010-05-17T07:23:00.005-05:00

Please ignore the odd angle of the boy's head. Also, the squeaky, high-pitched voice in the background. The point of the video is the boy and his smile. (7wks, 2days)(not the best example but it was all I could get. He was ready for bed.)

Seeing that smile at 2am almost makes it worth having to get up. Almost.
You know, because I'd rather see it at 6am after having slept all night long.

Avery-ism

2010-05-16T02:14:00.003-05:00

Callie: Mama, what does "subject" mean?

Avery: I know what that means. Subject means you want to play outside!

*giggle*

Avery: No, I'm just kidding. I don't know anything.