Thursday, January 28, 2010

Babies, books, your opinion, and more?




I learned this week that Alan thinks Tyler came out of my belly button.


I let him continue to believe it!



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I've been reading my first Beverly Lewis book.  She kept me guessing the whole way through how she would resolve the multiple story lines by the end.


I never would have guessed how.


Because she didn't.


Not one single thing is wrapped up, tied up, finished up by the end.


Genius plan.  Now I have to read book 2 in the seires!


Must. get. to. library.  Soon.

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What are your thoughts on the add-on blogging?  Do you check the end of previous posts to make sure you didn't miss anything?  Or do the last thoughts added on get left behind?


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Ever make your own egg noodles?  I thought I might try it for tonight's soup, but by the time i looked up a recipe, it was too late to let them sit out and dry a little bit.  I didn't know about that part.


For supper tonight I'll just make dumplings, but I sure have homemade noodles on my mind now.  


So... have you ever made noodles?  

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Wednesday, January 27th

I have 3 sons.  And 1 husband.  


Boys growing up to be men eat a lot.  I expect to be doubling recipes and using larger cookware and buying in bulk more and more in the years ahead.


But apparently, we already eat a lot.


Over the holidays Greg, who was doing all the grocery shopping, started buying in bulk.


It seems flour was on the grocery list every trip, so finally he just came home with a 25lb sack of flour.  Alrighty then.  Solved that!


We also go through a lot of peanut butter.


Greg fixed that, too, when he came home with 6lbs of it:







I thought, "Mercy, we'll never use that much peanut butter before it goes wonky!"


But y'all.... 


less than a month since he brought that big ol' can of Peter Pan home....


... it's empty.


I'm going to have Trouble.  


The boys.... they're gonna EAT.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Monday, January 25

One of my goals for today:


To say "Go play!" less.  Keeping my boys close by for enjoyment and instruction, instead of habitually sending them off to their room so I can more easily (fill in the blank: check email, make lunch, clean, read, etc.).


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On laundry habits:


I started it with Dale, and have done the same thing with the other two... It seems almost ceremonial, to be 8 months pregnant and buy the traditional bottle of Dreft detergent.


I wash all the baby's sheets, blankets, burp cloths, and clothes, both new and hand-me-downs and put them away in the baby dresser / armoire. 


After his arrival, his clothes are washed separately in Dreft until the bottle is empty.  By then the newborn isn't quite so new anymore and he gets the same detergent as the rest of the family.  I do still keep his clothes in his own laundry basket in his room for a while longer.


Babies = lots o' laundry!


Do you do anything special for newborn laundry?


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On math and 'fairness':


8 mini shortbread cookies


2 boys


1 nursing mama



How would you divide the loot?

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Sunday January 24th

I don't usually post on Sundays... but I wanted to relay the following conversation from this afternoon.


First of all, you should know we don't care much for aren't big football fans.  Therefore, our children know little or nothing about the NFL and its teams.  Today it came up that a 'big game' would be on later between the Saints and the Vikings.  


Dale immediately and confidently stated he knew the Vikings would win.


When questioned on this opinion he, again with great confidence, informed us it was because they were a tougher team.


Greg caught on immediately to this reasoning and agreed that, sure enough, if a saint and a viking were to get into an altercation the viking would most likely come out on top.  


After all...


When the saints go marching IN, the vikings are gonna take 'em OUT.  


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 No offense to any Saints fans, right?  


We're just being 'punny'.  


Do you watch football?  Who's your team?


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I was just the recipient of the biggest spit-up of my parenting career.  This new little one is more of a spitter-upper than my other two.  Very gassy little fellow.  A good sport about it, but still... you have to keep an eye on that one.  


I was holding him chest-to-chest when he let out a rip-roaring burp.  Followed promptly by what had to have been most of the feeding we were half-way through.  


My neck got a good soaking, with another large bit of baby-puke rolling down my front... inside my shirt.  Already I could tell I had no choice but to shower.  And then I discovered there was just as much down my back as down my front!


Amazingly, Tyler's clothes were pretty much dry, and only a little spot got on the couch.  


Ah well... who doesn't enjoy a nice warm shower on a Sunday afternoon?


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We've been reading The Mitten a lot lately.


Dale finally asked the obvious question the other day... the one thing I've wondered myself...


Why wasn't Nicki wearing his new mittens when he went outside to play?


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The whys and hows of getting there are a long story, which I will spare you, and just share the finished product instead:





Friday, January 22, 2010

Ham and Cheese

Somebody has figured out ...





how to know exactly...




when the camera is going to snap....




... and keeps himself right in front of it!


Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Wednesday, January 20th

This is another add-on post.  Be sure and check back and scroll to the bottom for the latest from The Buffalo Herd!

A day begins....
7:22am - Tyler wakes up.  Again.  He spoiled me at first with 3 and 4 hour stretches at night.  Not so much the last couple of nights.  Last night he woke up exactly 2 hours from the time my head hit the pillow.... every time.  So I pieced together 6 hours last night.  In 2 hour blocks.  Please baby, can you go back to those 3 and 4 hour increments?


7:41am - Dale and Alan ask to get their own breakfast (while I am nursing) and head to the kitchen to get out cereal, bowls, & milk.  I call them back and give ONE instruction: DALE POURS THE MILK.  


7:47am - Dale starts singing - constantly.  Started with the states, added in the capitols, sang another verse to include the order each state joined the union.  Yes, he was making this song up.... reading the information from one of our 'learning' placemats.


7:52am - Dale still singing.  Alan calls from the kitchen, "Mama.... can you come wipe this up for me?"  He poured his own milk.  Overflowed the bowl.  Emptied what was left in the jug.  No milk for Mama's cereal this morning.  Unless I want to re-use Alan's bowl.  No thank you.  Soggy raisin bran isn't really my thing.


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Rubber boots.  Dale and Alan each have a pair.  


I have a love/hate relationship with those boots.


I love that I can send the boys outside to play and not worry about getting their good shoes all muddy.


I hate that they go outside and get... all muddy.  


ALL muddy.  From head to toe.


Even if they aren't playing IN the mud... it finds them.


And then that mud finds my kitchen and laundry room floors.  


And both boys end up needed a complete new set of clothes.


But if we didn't have those boots, my boys couldn't get outside to play on those nice mild days.


However...


If we didn't have those boots, my boys wouldn't get outside and get all muddy!


Rubber boots.  


I love 'em.  


I hate 'em.


What do you do about muddy days?
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Dale, looking at the mug I'm drinking hot chocolate from:


"When I am twelve, I'm going to start drinking coffee, and when I am having a really good breakfast, I'm going to drink it from that mug."

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Tuesday, January 19

This is an add-on post.  Please scroll to the bottom of this post to make sure you've read the latest thoughts I've "added on."  


I have always been one to get dressed in 'real clothes' every day, even if we aren't going anywhere.  But considering:
I have a 2 week old baby in the middle of winter, 


and my maternity jeans are too big, 


and my regular jeans won't button (ok, so maybe one pair does - don't hate me, it's just the way God made me, 'kay?),


and all my regular 'real' clothes are fitting rather ummm.. snugly on the top,


I am quite satisfied putting on yoga pants and a sweatshirt and considering myself "dressed".  Bonus points for putting on makeup.  Hair is definitely in a ponytail.


If you stay home during the day, do you wear 'real clothes'?  What do you consider 'real clothes' to include?


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One of Alan's current library books is titled "Boot Weather".  He carried it around with him last night for a while, and finally asked Greg, "Daddy?  Will you read "Boot Camp" to me?"


Basically the same thing... right?  


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Speaking of Alan....
He has a nasty little habit of waking up from his naps very grumpy.  I can't imagine where he would get that from .... ahem.  


Yesterday afternoon we wondered where Alan was.  I thought it was one of those times that he was laying in his bed taking his time waking up from his nap on his own terms.  But no.  I looked down the hallway, and here came Alan, bouncing along, looking like this:

His words? A quite cheerful -
"I'm going cowboying!"



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Little things make me happy.  Something about this stack of neatly folded, freshly washed baby blankets made me feel all warm inside.



And since the relatives might come after me if I posted a pic of the baby's blankets but not one of the baby....

 and since if one is good, two are better....



Friday, January 15, 2010

Friday, January 15

This is an add-on post.  Please scroll to the bottom of this post to make sure you've read the latest thoughts I've "added on."  


My littlest little man had his first 'well-baby' visit yesterday.  After losing 8 oz in his first two days of life, he more than made up for it by gaining 14 oz over the following 7 days!  Woohoo!  That put him up to 8lbs 10oz.  The goal is for a baby to regain their birthweight by the time they are 10-14 days old, so we were pretty happy with birthweight plus 4 oz at 9 days!  Breastmilk is awesome stuff.


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Found the coolest website yesterday: Classics for Kids.  
You (or your kid) can look up a short composer bio alphabetically, by time period, and by country.  There are also samples of classical music, and radio shows with even more information about composers and some of their famous pieces.  Dale and I have also enjoyed the games section, which includes a game I have been looking for for weeks now: a name-the-note game.  This one will be in our favorites for a while.


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In other webby-linky-ness: We have started a read-the-Bible-in-a-year plan.  I first heard of it from Kathi @ Bringing up Arrows and was interested from the start!  Instead of reading straight through, this plan has you skipping through the Bible by categories of books, one for each day of the week.  Mondays are Books of the Law, Wednesdays are Psalms, Saturday the Gospels.  Greg and I both really like it so far.  He listens to each day's reading on his commute, and I read either in my Bible or online.  Sometimes I knock it out in one sitting, sometimes it takes all day.  Things are kind of busy and non-routine around here, you know.  Anyway, the point is, if you would like to read the entire Bible you might be interested in this plan.  So what if it isn't January 1st?  So what if you finish Jan 15, 2011?  Or even February 15, 2011?  The point is reading God's word, right?  If you are interested, you can find this reading plan here.  

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

One Week

Things I Want To Remember 
From The Day Tyler Was Born


The early morning drive to the hospital with Greg.  Over the years Greg has become an excellent listener, and that morning was no exception.  Having originally felt very strongly about not being induced, and then choosing an induction after all, added to the simple anticipation of what the day would hold, I was a roller coaster of emotion.  He buckled in and handled it all quite well.  He is my earthly rock!


The "trouble" I gave the nurses.  I tend to be a very meek, obedient, Rule-Follower.  But having spent three years getting way too comfortable with hospitals and medical equipment, plus having some preconceived ideas about how I wanted this delivery to go, I questioned the nurses much more than I would have.  I was polite and all, but it was somewhat out of character for me to do more than just go with the flow.  I liked it.


The enthusiasm with which Dale and Alan faced the day.  Especially Dale.  He knew exactly what we were all gathered for, and could hardly contain his excitement.  And then the way he took in all the medical equipment!  He visited the room twice before Tyler was born, and once after.  He was not nervous or intimidated in the least with all he saw, but asked a million questions in usual Dale fashion.  Who knew you could homeschool even from your L&D room?



The way it felt to feel everything.  My first two deliveries were with an epidural, and for an assortment of reasons, I wanted to attempt this one without.  I think it wasn't until the drive to the hospital that morning that I admitted to myself how much I wanted it, and completely committed to it, circumstances allowing.  Greg was behind me all the way, and through the entire morning I had him on one side and my mom and sister on the other.  We were a team.  The experience was amazing.


The look on Greg's face, and the sound of his voice when he said, "You did it!"  I will always treasure that moment.


The words I said when the doctor laid Tyler on my suddenly-empty belly - they make me laugh - and the words I said the first time the nurse placed him all swaddled in my arms - they make me know: that he is mine, and that I have loved him since before I knew him.



The look of wonder on the big boys' faces when they met their brother for the first time.  Dale, who had known what to expect and instantly fell in love, and Alan, who finally fully understood all we had been telling him for months.  I loved watching his smile grow wider and brighter the longer he was in the room.



The glorious afternoon nap I enjoyed in a sunshine-filled room after lunch.  The sense of relief and contentment that the pregnancy was over and we were beginning life as a family of five was an unexpected but welcome emotion.  And that sunshine-bathed nap was bliss.


The sweet, ice-cold drink my mom and sister brought that evening, and the hour we spent together, admiring this perfect, precious blessing, and reliving our shared experience of his arrival.



Happy Birthday, Tyler!  A day well-worth remembering.  

Friday, January 8, 2010

Show n' Tell

I have pictures to show and stories to tell,
But you'll just have to trust me when I say 'all is well'.


My arms are oft full of one boy or another;
If not the newborn, then his next-older brother.


Friends and family are feeding us daily,
And the big boys are adapting to our new life quite gaily.


Thanks for your comments; I love reading each one!
I'll be back soon with more Buffalo fun!

Saturday, January 2, 2010

And heaven and nature (and Alan!) sing...

Oh my goodness!  I haven't blogged since last year!?!?  


Sorry.  Predictable joke.


I couldn't help myself.


I know Christmas is over, but there is one lingering thing from this Christmas that I don't want to forget, and the blog seems the best place to record it.


Lucky you.  ;)


We have had the pleasure for weeks now of hearing Alan go about his little life, randomly singing Christmas carols.  


There is something so sweet about hearing a 3 yr old sing anything, and particularly something like "Joy to the world..."


Of course we get the added bonus of having the Alan Version of these songs.






So here, for your enjoyment and my memory preservation, are Alan's Carols '09.



"Joy to the world, the Lord is here!"
.
.
"We wish you a merry Christmas, and a happy to you!"
.
.
"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way home!"




And while I am on Alan singing, I might as well throw in that one of today's favorites has been, "I've been working on the railroad, all da-ay long!"


And at this moment?

"Who let the dogs out? Woof, woof-woof!"



I have no idea where he learned that.


I'm choosing to linger on the memory of 'Joy to the World, the Lord is here!'