Quick Birthday Party Recap

Seth enjoyed his first birthday party on Sunday, despite the fact that his top two teeth are finally poking through. Thanks to my mom, the party was a success! Definitely would not have been able to do it without her--what was I thinking? But all's well that ends well. I didn't take nearly enough pictures, but that's nothing new. But I got the most important ones--the birthday boy enjoying his cake!
I ended up making his cake, and I'm glad I did. I wasn't too original--I went with the puppy theme, which was the same thing I did for William's first birthday. But a hit is a hit, right?

April Showers

William and Seth took a shower tonight, instead of a bath--for the first time! Our new shower is a walk-in, and William has been very curious about it, but not quite "brave" enough to actually take a shower. About a week ago, I convinced him to step in the shower to wash off his "privates" since he hates it when I have to wipe away his "business." He liked it, but didn't get his whole body wet.

Tonight, he wanted to put his poop from his diaper into the potty. I agreed, since I'm doing whatever I can to encourage pooping in the potty. He failed to tell me that his poop was, ahem, mushy. (Note to self--next time, check before pursuing that option!) So here I was, trying to empty the dirty diaper into the toilet while simultaneously trying to keep Seth from putting his hands in the toilet and grabbing the poop, while also trying to keep William still until I had a chance to wipe him. I'm sure it was a funny scene from the outside. (If you like potty humor!)

William was not cooperating when it came time to wipe his privates, so I asked him if he wanted to stand in the shower to clean himself off. He said yes, so we went to our bathroom and I turned on the shower. William got in and let the water clean him off (with a little help from a wash cloth). Meanwhile, Seth also got in and had a great time getting completely drenched in the shower. When William saw Seth getting completely wet, he decided to try it, too. And he loved it! After a few minutes, he asked me to take Seth out and close the shower door! I obliged after soaping them both up and rinsing them off, and William enjoyed a ten-minute shower by himself while Seth played in our bathroom. I wonder how often he'll want to shower versus taking a bath? Lucky for him, I'm okay with either option. The milestones just keep on coming, don't they!

Seth's Birthday--Earth Day

We had a great day today, although we paid little attention to the fact that it was Earth Day. I feel pangs of guilt, but next year we will do better. Instead, we met up today with Julie, Bill, and Lana of My Life with Roundface. We went to a mall and the kids played in the play area and made Build-a-Bears and then we ate lunch together. It was so great to see them and to catch up, although it was challenging, of course, with three kids under 3 in the mix! I'm sure I seemed so disjointed and disorganized. Seth managed to get a big goose egg on his head at Build-a-Bear. He was fine in a matter of minutes, but his head doesn't look so good! Poor guy. William was obsessed with a tractor that was parked in the middle of the mall. I let him sit on it, and he was in 7th heaven.

They also had a play area with a bunch of those little cars and helicopters that move all around when you put quarters in them. William sat in all of them, and would have been content to stay there for the rest of the day.

Lana watched William like he had two heads, which totally made me laugh. I know Lana--I don't get it either! It was fun to eat lunch with them, and all the kids were great. Julie is pregnant and looks fantastic. I feel like such a jerk, though, because I didn't even ask her about her father. He's battling lung cancer, and they came to the east coast to visit with him. It's just so hard sometimes with two kids to keep track of when you're out and about. It's hard to maintain coherenet thoughts in your head. At any rate, it was an awesome visit and made me wish that they still lived in the area. Hopefully we'll be able to visit them on the west coast some day. Julie has pictures, so hopefully she'll either post them or send them to me.

After we got home, we spent the rest of the day playing. The weather wasn't great, so we stayed inside. We made cupcakes for Seth, and after dinner, we all sang Happy Birthday and ate cupcakes. I finally got chair pictures after bath. They're not the best, but better than nothing. Here's the best of the lot:

So all in all, a great day! I can't believe it was just a year ago that Seth was born. A year makes such a huge difference in the life of a child. Both boys are so different--so grown up. Seth is now a toddler, and William is a "kid." I loved spending the day with them and am so grateful that I can do that--take the day off and not have to worry about it. While I really want time to slow down, I'm looking forward to seeing what the next year will bring.

Happy First Birthday Seth!

Dear Seth,

You made it! You have survived a whole year and we are so happy you're here. You are so happy and quick to laugh, and you go along with just about anything. When you were an itty bitty baby, I carried you around in a sling while we followed your big brother all around, and you were perfectly content to just hang out and sleep and watch William play.

As you've gotten older, you've shown us that you definitely have a mind of your own. You love to climb and explore and you have no fear--no sense of your limitations. You reach for the stars, and we love that about you. You aren't afraid to fall down, and you don't complain much when you do. You just get up and you keep on going. You are also quite determined when you set your mind on something--there's no distracting you. You love to play with all the things you're not supposed to--the toilet brush, the toilet paper, the glass bowls, my iPhone, the telephone, the remote control, anything your brother is playing with. You also love to steal your brother's sippy cups, and I have learned to make a sippy cup for you, too, whenever I make one for William.

You use a few signs, like "more" and "wash your hands," and you can say ball and cat, and when you see a dog, you pant. You are very outgoing and have very little stranger anxiety. You love your friends at school, and your teachers. Whenever I take you out of your car seat in the morning when we arrive at school, you get so excited and happy. You love especially love art--markers and crayons and paint. You like playdough, too, and I love how you'll put it to your mouth, just to see if I'm watching!

You get along with William so well, and tolerate so much abuse from him. He truly loves you and cares about you, but he's 3, and that means he's going to snatch toys from you and he'll push you down sometimes, and he'll get upset when you try to play with his toys. But every morning when he wakes up, he asks where you are. And he loves to play with you in the baby room at school every morning. And he really loves making you laugh--which isn't very hard at all!

You are such a joy, and you bring so much to our family. I have loved watching you grow and learn and become the little toddler that you are now. I can't wait to see more--to hear you talk, to watch you play with William, to find out what your favorite toys and books will be. You will change so much in the coming year, but you will always be my baby. I love how cuddly and sweet you are, how you giggle, how you throw a little fit when I take something away from you that you want. I hope that you will always feel our love for you and that you will always know how happy you make us. We love you, forever and always!

Mommy, Daddy, and William

So Much to Talk About, So Little Time

We had a pretty good weekend, found some new playgrounds, visited the fishing pond, closed on our house, went to CVS's Minute Clinic twice, and used a Neti Pot--all since my last post.

Yep--we've been busy. Today the cable guy came to install our cable Internet and phone package. I opted to set up the Internet myself, thus saving the $100 set-up fee, but that probably means it will be another week before I actually have the Internet at home, because I'm sure it won't work and I'll have to call the cable company, and I'll probably end up paying the damn fee anyway. But that might be a post for another day.

In the meantime, Seth will turn one TOMORROW, and I might not be able to post about it on his birthday. So when I do post about it, I will probably pre-date it so that it appears to have been posted on his birthday. Hope y'all won't mind!

As for our weekend and all that it entailed, Ed and I got our old house all cleaned up and in tip-top shape for the new owners on Saturday. We had the closing yesterday, and as of now, we are no longer home owners. After cleaning the old house on Saturday, the boys and I enjoyed the beautiful spring weather and went out to explore our new neighborhood. We found another tot lot close by, and then made our way to the elementary school, which has two fabulous playgrounds. The boys played on both of them and wore themselves out. We went back to the playgrounds on Sunday so they could play some more. Earlier on Sunday, Ed took William to check out the fish pond. And we also met many more neighbors. So far, life at the new house is pretty good.

As for the Minute Clinic at CVS, I have developed a sinus infection, so I went there after the closing on Monday to get an antibiotic. I had no wait at all, and the doctor was so nice. She even took me to the cold and allergy aisle and showed me some OTC remedies for head colds that would help prevent sinus infections. She recommended the Neti Pot! (More on that later.) It was such a great experience that I took William there after school so they could check his ears and throat and make sure nothing was amiss. I could have taken him to our pediatrician, but I always feel bad when I go there and they tell me, "It's just a virus." I feel like I'm wasting their time. Plus I would have had to wait for a later appt., and it was way more convenient to just drop by the CVS. The Minute Clinic is open on the weekends, too, so I will be taking advantage of that more often in the future! Yay for options.

As for the Neti Pot, I know someone reviewed one on a blog that I read not too long ago. I tried it last night, and it was not nearly as uncomfortable as I thought it would be. And it definitely cleared up the sinuses. They filled up again after 15 minutes, but it was nice while it lasted! And I will definitely do it daily whenever I get a cold to help prevent a sinus infection. It is worth it! If you've never heard of the Neti Pot, just Google it.

The boys had their pictures taken at school today. William smiled big, but Seth cried and cried. They did get a few shots of Seth where he wasn't flat-out crying (one by himself and one with Willaim), but he has a very pained expression on his face. Apparently, all of the babies were freaked out by the studio set-up. Seth was literally shaking when I put him down on the seat. Poor guy! I've been wanting to hire a professional photographer to take some pictures of the boys and some family shots in the great outdoors. Guess I need to pony up and do it!

So that's our update. Hopefully the next time I post, it will be from my home computer. Wish me luck!

Revisiting the Past, and Why I Blog

I was looking at my blog posts from this time two years ago, when William was about to turn one. I'm so happy that I have this diary to look back on, to help me remember how things were. I posted a "guest blog" back then that author Anna Quindlen had written, called "On Being Mom," and it bears rereading, in my book. Quindlen wrote,

But the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make while doing this. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three of them sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4 and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.

Megan wrote about this recently--about how to live in the moment, how to really feel the happiness and the joy and how to let go of the rest. It's really hard to do that when the daily grind just wears you down. But it's so so important. And blogging definitely helps. When Seth wakes up in the middle of the night, although I know that uninterrupted sleep is important and that teaching him to sleep is important, I also think about how he will never be this little again, and I will not always have this ability to be everything he needs, right when he needs it. He wants me to hold him, and I can. He wants a bottle, and I can give him that. He wants comfort, and that's my job. When William comes into our room at 5:00 in the morning and climbs on top of me and tries to snuggle his gangly, 3-year-old body into a comfortable position, I just hold him as close as I can. There will come a day when I won't get to snuggle like that with him anymore. When I won't be everything that he needs.

Parenting is so very hard. The responsibility is enormous and overwhelming. The worry, the guilt, the pressure, the stress. But the rewards are never-ending. The unconditional love, the cuteness, the hilarity, the pride, the joy, the sweet moments. My friend MJ wrote a beautiful post one, called "Life is Beautiful," in which she anticipated enjoying so many experiences the second time around through the eyes of her child. Such a great articulation of what makes parenting so wonderful.

So for now, I will keep blogging about my kids, about parenting, about my doubts and worries, and about the really happy moments. And I will read and reread these posts, because they help me to see how far I've come, to remember what it was like, and to feel the joy all over again.

"I Like My New House, Mommy!"

William has been telling us quite often that he likes his new house. I wonder when the novelty will wear off? Will he then decide that he's ready to go back to the old house? We stayed home yesterday because William caught the cold that Seth and I have been nursing. I thought he might have a bad day, but he ended up being fine. He's coughing a bit more today, but hopefully he'll be fine. Seth seems to be okay, and I'm feeling much better. So that's a relief.

Unfortunately, it rained all day yesterday, so we didn't get to explore our new neighborhood. But William figured out all the toys that he's missing, "Where's my excavator, Mommy? Where's my garbage truck? No--not that one, the big one! Where are my trains, Mommy?" The boy has ten gazillion toys, and he knows EXACTLY what's missing. Go figure. I didn't get a whole lot done with both boys home, but we did make a trip to Walmart, and I did make a note of some things we need and where I want certain things to go. I have a huge walk-in closet and have no idea how to organize it or what to put in there. My clothes only take up about 1/4th the space, so I think this definitely means I need more clothes. Right?

Meanwhile, Ed has continued to work like a machine, unpacking and breaking down boxes. He worked on his office last night after the boys went to bed. I know that he is so completely exhausted, and yet he is driven to get things in order. Of course, disorder drives him batty, so he is motivated. I, on the other hand, feel perfectly comfortable with half-emptied boxes all over the place and piles of stuff that have no homes yet. But in deference to him and how hard he's been working, I've been making a big effort to find places for things. My closet has become the temporary catch-all for things that don't have homes yet. Hope that doesn't become permanent!

Seth's first birthday is one week from today. How did that get here so quickly? He is gaining new skills left and right. He catches onto signs really quickly, so I want to work on signing with him much more. He can sign for "more," and "milk" and "all done." When I say we need to wash hands, he rubs his hands together. When I ask him what a doggie says, he pants. And whenever he sees a dog he pants. And his first word is "ball." I can't wait to see what he'll call William. He lives to climb on things, and definitely has a bit of the devil in him. I could go on, but I'll save it for his birthday post. And not long after that, William will turn 3. We will have a 3 year old! He's a kid now--no longer a toddler. Again--how did that happen? I can't wait to write their birthday posts. We are so fortunate to have two pretty amazing kids!

Settling In

The move was a success! Of course, it rained and rained and rained Saturday morning--the whole time we were moving. THE WHOLE TIME. When the movers finally finished and started putting the truck in order to leave, the rain stopped. Soooo typical. I'm so glad we decided to take the boys to Ed's parents on Friday night because it would NOT have been fun keeping them inside and trying to stay out of the way of the movers.

There were six moving men and two trucks and it took them about 6 hours to move the entire house. It helped tremendously that Ed had moved all of the packed boxes into the garage, so all they had to do was load them right into the truck. And while they moved our furniture, Ed loaded up our van with boxes of valuables and breakables that he wanted to move himself, and all the random stuff, baskets of laundry, etc. etc. Meanwhile, it took me forever to get going Saturday morning, so I finally showed up at the old house at 11:00 a.m. I took a load to the new house and was there when the movers got there with their trucks. As they unloaded, we directed and I started unpacking the kitchen. After the movers finished and left, Ed and I unpacked and unpacked and unpacked, and I got most of the kitchen done before I had to leave to head back to Ed's parents. Ed was a total machine and got the basement shelves attached the wall and unpacked most of the basement toys. He also got all the boxes sorted into the right rooms, and unpacked a bunch of other things upstairs.

When I got there on Sunday, he was attaching more shelves to walls and I finished up the kitchen and got the boys rooms all put together--sheets on beds and books on the shelves. I went to the old house and packed up the fridge and freezer stuff, and the last of the odds and ends--shower curtains, bathroom trash cans, etc. etc. William and Seth arrived around 3:00 and as we showed Ed's sister and BIL around the new house, William kept saying, "This is nice!" Too funny. William played outside on the deck for a few hours with his new firetruck while I unpacked some more and tried to keep Seth out of trouble. Seth is my little monkey. That boy loves to climb! Every time I turned around he had climbed onto a box or chair or step stool or anything he could find. It cracks me up. Anyway, we also went outside and William mowed the grass out back with his mower and he rode his tricycle to the little tot lot at the end of our row of townhouses. Seth went down the slide a few times while William rode his tricycle down an incline several times.

Anyway, we ate dinner and took baths and read stories and both boys went to sleep fairly easily. It took William a bit of time, but not as long as I anticipated. We had put his full bed together for his new room, as opposed to just putting the box spring and mattress on the floor, and he seems to really like his "big boy" bed. So all in all, the first night at our new home was a big success!

Ed continued to unpack after the boys went to bed while I went to the grocery store. He got our living room all in order and things are looking really good. He also got the gate at the top of the stairs attached--on the third floor, with the bedrooms. We have to get a new gate for the main level stairs that go tot he basement. All in all, I really like our new place. I love my kitchen--especially the pantry. All of my appliances are in my kitchen, and not downstairs or in a closet somewhere. They all fit in my pantry. (My breadmaker, waffle iron, crock pot, coffee maker, knife sharpener.) And so do my serving platters and trays, and my cake pans, and even our Bissell steam clean machine. Life is good when you have a pantry! I also love my soaking tub, although I haven't used it yet. William used it last night and had a ball "swimming." There are lots of other specific things that are great--I actually have a full-length mirror on my closet door! And the master bedroom ceiling is vaulted so it makes the room feel huge. We also met several neighbors and everyone is very nice. I think the positives will outweigh the negatives.

The only other wrinkle in our weekend was that I caught a cold. Seth started getting sick on Thursday with a runny nose, and by mid-morning Saturday, I started feeling miserable. Seth has been a trooper, especially if he's felt as awful as I have. I've been taking Motrin and cold medicine and soldiering on. William and Ed are okay so far (I'm vigorously knocking on my desk right now), and Seth will hopefully have nothing worse than a goopy nose and a light cough.

I'll try to take some pictures as we get unpacked and settled. I'm happy with the progress we've made so far. Of course, this morning was a bit of a zoo, as we realized that we hadn't really set up our bathroom. We couldn't find our shampoo, I couldn't find my comb or sweaters, Ed couldn't find his razor. It's the little things! But overall, things are great. At the grocery store, I bought several ready-made meals, like Stouffers chicken alfredo, and a crock pot all-in-one meal, and one of those frozen meal-in-a-bag deals. Those might have to make a few repeat appearances in the grocery cart for a while, but that's okay. Whatever works, right?

Shutting Down

I'm about to turn my computer off and break it down. We decided that I will take the kids to Ed's parents tonight. It will be easier for everyone. And I doubt William will even realize that he's missing the movers and moving vans. He will get doted on all weekend by the family, and spoiled rotten by Grandma, and the Easter Bunny will visit him to boot.

I've gotten lots done today, but we're dangerously low on boxes. Ed will have to deal with the rest tonight. (Yet another advantage of taking the boys to the grandparents'--I'll get to sleep at a relatively decent hour!) I packed all the food and the rest of the kitchen, cleaned off and packed the outdoor toys, boxed up shoes, and various other odds and ends. I've also done four loads of laundry (where the heck did all of that come from?), folded them, and put them away.

I have an hour left to do a few more things. Blogging might be light for the next two weeks. We don't get Internet set up at the new place until April 21, so until then, I'll be blogging during lunch at work. Wish us luck! And good weather--it's supposed to rain all morning tomorrow. Blech!

Three Days and Counting

Just three days left in our house. We did more packing last night. I've been working on this huge laundry basket of ironing that has been sitting in our laundry room for at least a year. Most of the items are things I wore before I got pregnant with Seth. I hate ironing, but I also hate paying for something that I could do myself. Not to mention the fact that when you let it all pile up, you get a really huge dry cleaning bill. Anyway, it feels like I have new clothes now! And Ed got a few shirts, too, that he hasn't seen in years. LOL.

I'll do more ironing tonight while we watch LOST. I was kicking myself last night for not borrowing my neighbors dvds of Lost. I watched Frontline instead. I also packed the laundry room stuff. I finally found the silver polish that I knew I had but hadn't been able to find in 2 years. Who polishes silver anymore anyway?

I'll probably also try to pack shoes tonight, and there are still some kitchen things and picture frames that need packing. Hopefully we'll get those things done tonight and tomorrow night. I'm taking Friday off and bringing the kids to daycare, so I hope it will be a crazy productive day. I'll be packing the food (everything except the refrigerator) and cleaning and packing the outdoor toys. And also the last of the indoor toys. And any other last-minute things. Ed wants me to take the boys to his parents house on Friday night, rather than Saturday morning. But I really want William to see the moving truck and the moving men. We've been talking so much about it, and I think it will be weird for him to leave our house with everything in it and then go to the new house, with everything a huge mess. (Not that our "old" house isn't a huge mess.) Ed thinks he will pitch a fit when it's time to leave our house for Grandma's house on Saturday. He may be right. What do you guys think? Do we let William watch the movers for a little while, and then leave for Grandma's? Or should I just take him to Grandma's on Friday night?

Still not feeling great about the move, but this is my MO--keep expectations low, and things almost always end up better than I anticipated. So here's hoping!

Outside--It's the New Inside

William spent practically the entire weekend outside. If this is a taste of what's to come as the weather gets warmer, then I better get used to outdoor living. Seth spent most of his weekend outside, too, but he also took long naps inside, unlike William, who did not nap at all. Despite being exhausted by the end of each day, William managed to hold it together and we didn't have any major malfunctions. All in all, it was a great weekend.

While William and Seth spent the majority of their time outside, Ed and I managed to pack up the rest of the house--just about. I'd say we're about 90% packed. We have some odds and ends yet to pack--the outdoor toys, the food and utensils. And our shoes. But the rest of it is boxed up and ready to go. Moving day is Saturday, and I'm not going to dwell on it, but let's just say I've been experiencing lots of nostalgia and a twinge of remorse. I am very sad to be leaving our house. But on to new things, and hopefully better things.

I took some pictures of the boys outside Saturday morning. I imagine there will be lots more of these this summer!


This week we'll be busy try to pack everything that's left, and generally just getting ready for the movers bright and early on Saturday. Our plan is to let William see the moving van and watch the workers for a short while, and then I'll take him and Seth to Ed's parents. I'll go back to his parents on Saturday night and the boys and I will spend the night there. On Sunday, I'll go back to the new house to get unpacked and situated, and then either Ed's parents will bring the boys to the new house, or else Ed or I will go back to get them. Ed's parents have been a Godsend these past few weeks. We never would have gotten the packing done if not for them. They've been coming over every weekend and entertaining the boys while we pack. We're so lucky to have such helpful and supportive families!

The Daily Grind

I was going to write this post last night, but I was too tired at the end of the night, so I watched the pilot episode of Lost instead (part 1). I just started watching Lost this season, and I love it! But I'm so, well, lost. Anyway, as I was going through all the motions of my daily grind yesterday after work, I thought I should write them down for posterity. So here's a typical evening routine. Ed had to work late, so I shouldn't say "typical," but even with Ed home, there's not too much variation. Feel free to stop reading now because trust me, this will be boring!

We got home a little after 6:00 p.m. We had to sit in the car for a minute because William was having a time out for pulling Seth's pacifier out of his mouth. (In the car, a time out means he has to be quiet for 2 minutes, with no talking at all.)

As soon as William got out of the car, he went into the yard and started playing. I got Seth out of the car, along with my purse, the bottle bag, William's blanket, Seth's jacket, and the empty sippy cups, bowls, and bottle from the a.m. and p.m. rides. I put the stuff in the house and then walked William to the back yard so he could play. I told him he had to stay in the back yard while I went through the house and opened the back door.

After opening the back door (glass sliding door) and closing the screen, Seth and I went upstairs so I could quickly change my clothes. I watched William in the back yard from my bedroom windows.

Back downstairs, I put Seth down and he watched William through the screen door and played with the shoes by the door. I put cups and bowls in the dishwasher and bottles in the sink.

Seth and I then went outside for a few minutes. The ground was really wet, so I didn't put Seth down. William seemed content playing in the yard, so I left him there and went back inside to get dinner. While I was prepping dinner, I looked up to see William jumping in the sandbox. This wouldn't be a problem, except the sandbox is currently filled with about 2 inches of water. I would have fussed at him, but he was having such a good time. Instead I went to the screen door and asked him what he was doing. He gave me a really guilty, "busted" look and quickly got out of the sand box. It didn't seem to bother him that his feet were now wet, so I just let it go.

I heated up leftover Hamburger Helper for Seth and nuked some peas for him. (Yes--I make Hamburger Helper sometimes! I know--the horror!) I asked William if he wanted a ham and cheese omelet, but he said he just wanted ham and cheese. So after putting Seth in his seat and serving his dinner, I cut up ham and cheese for William (processed deli ham and American cheese--again, the horror!) and nuked broccoli for him.

I served William his dinner outside, but I had to wash his hands before he could eat. By now it was 6:30. William ate all his ham and cheese but left his broccoli. At around 6:45 I enticed him back inside, and he ate his broccoli. I told him we could download a new Backyardigans episode on the iPhone, so that was enough motivation for him.

We went upstairs a little before 7:00 and ended up downloading a Martha Speaks episode. I set William up with his nebulizer in our room so he could watch the new episode, and then I took Seth down the hall and started his bath. While I was bathing Seth, William abandoned his nebulizer treatment and joined us in the bathroom because he said Martha Speaks was scary. (This is where having Ed home would have helped, because Ed would have been with William during his treatment. Oh well!) He then went back and forth between the bedroom and bathroom, watching Martha Speaks and chatting with me.

About 7:15, I got Seth out of the bath and put him in his PJs. We went downstairs and I made Seth's bottle, came back upstairs and then got William's bath ready. William got in the bath and played while I gave Seth his bottle. I put Seth down in his crib about 7:40 (it's right next to the bathroom) and then washed William and got him out of the bath, got him in his pjs, and brushed his teeth. He wanted to brush my hair for a few minutes, so I let him. (What girl passes up an opportunity to get her hair brushed?)

I read him two stories (Berenstain Bears Go Out for the Team, and, hmmmm, can't remember the other one) and turned out his light. Then I told him a story (this is a new part of our routine--I make up stories about a little boy named William--he loves it!) and went downstairs to start my chores. I had to go back upstairs several times to put his covers back on, blow him kisses, and give him hugs. He finally fell asleep a little after 8:30.

Downstairs, I cleaned up after dinner (loaded the dishwasher, put stuff away, cleaned Seth's tray) and set the bottles to soaking in the sink. I cut up a grapefruit for this morning's breakfast and made my sandwich for lunch. I made two sippy cups of apple juice for the car and one sippy cup of chocolate milk for the morning. (Yes--William drinks chocolate millk. But it's Ovaltine, so it's not all bad, right?) I cleaned the bottles and set them to dry beside the sink. Ed got home about that time, so we chatted for a bit. He heated leftovers for dinner and I ate a bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats and another bowl of Smart Start.

I went upstairs with the idea of either blogging or cleaning out my desk, but I watched Lost instead. After Lost was over (it was 10:00 by then) I went back downstairs and made the bottles. Back upstairs I brushed my teeth and turned on the news. We watched TV for a little while and then finally went to sleep around 10:45 p.m.

So there's the grind. If Ed had been home, he would have supervised the nebulizer treatment, and would have stayed with William while he bathed. I usually bathe the boys together, and then Ed gets William out while I give Seth his bottle and put him to bed. Ed will read one or two books to William, and then after I get Seth down, I'll read one or two more and do the whole lights out routine. While I'm doing that, Ed is usually cleaning up in the kitchen or getting his and my dinner together. After we eat, we both clean up, and then he pays bills or does work, or whatever else he has to do, while I get bottles cleaned, bottles and lunch made, and all the next day prep.

So that's our drill. I know I've written about it before, and I'm not sure why I feel compelled to write it down again. I think part of me wants validation that what I'm doing is hard. And that I'm doing a pretty good job. (I know you all know it is hard, and I also know I don't have it nearly as hard as many many many other people.) Maybe I want validation because there's always this nagging feeling that I could and should be doing better. I should be feeding my kids healthier food--organic, not processed, homemade. I should be more organized so that I can play with the kids more when we get home, rather than scrambling to get dinner on the table while trying to keep an eye on both of them. And I should manage my time better and be more productive after the kids go to sleep, so that I can actually do all the things I say I want to do.

But the thing is, I'm doing the best I can. And every day is a new opportunity to do better. And maybe I'll get there, and maybe I won't. I need to stop comparing myself to other people who seem to have it all together. In the big picture, I have it all together. I may be spread a little thin, but things are always changing. I will not be washing bottles and making bottles forever. The kids will not be commuting to and from work with me forever. They will not be this needy forever. And oh how I'll miss it when it's gone. So for now, the fact that the boys get fed, and bathed, and dressed, and that we stick to our basic routine every night is good enough. We read books and play with toys and play outside. We keep our house picked up, and "clean" for the most part. We see friends and family, we go to birthday parties, we run errands and do laundry.

We're not perfect, my life is not "ideal." But what is ideal? My ideal would only turn out to be fraught with issues anyway. Truthfully, I wasn't any more productive when I was single and didn't have kids and seemingly had all the time in the world. There were always things I wanted to do but never got around to doing. My house was not spotless and my clothes were not always clean and perfectly pressed. My limitations are my limitations, regardless of my circumstances. The difference is, now I am surrounded by the love, chaos, joy, dread, hilarity, frustration, and happiness that is family--my family. My kids are happy and thriving and my marriage is strong. I am securely employed and we are financially sound. That is all that matters. So mission accomplished. I feel validated. I'm doing a great job. I really am.

Cheating

So after my long post about commuting with the boys and how I don't let William watch videos but instead we talk and interact during our ride to and from work, I think I have to eat a little crow. William has since discovered--or realized--that he can watch Backyardigan episodes on my iPhone.

I have used this feature of my iPhone before when trying to distract William and keep him quiet (especially at the doctor's office), but handing him the iPhone in the car is a whole new venture. I don't remember exactly how he came to have the iPhone in the car (or what possessed me to hand him this $300 toy), but he actually managed to stumble across the episodes on his own, and I got a quiet and relaxing ride home. Wow--was that nice! Since then, I've used it sparingly, only when William has been so cranky (or I've been so cranky) that conversations threaten to devolve into shouting matches, arguments, or tears. But my goodness, it's like a little slice of heaven to drive into work or home from work with no one demanding my attention, and time to just think. This is, of course, if Seth falls asleep. If Seth is awake, my attention is still diverted. But it's a lot easier to deal with one demanding child than with two!

By allowing William to "watch" the iPhone occassionally, I run the risk of having him ask for it ALL THE TIME. Toddlers are like that--if you do something twice, it might as well be written in stone. So I've really been using it sparingly. But still, it feels like I'm cheating. However, I'm over it. Everything in moderation, right? And anyway, when he's done watching a video, he just plays with the iPhone, and that keeps him entertained, too. This morning he figured out how to use the camera. And he's also found a few games that Ed has downloaded. I'm amazed that he can navigate around the thing like he can, but that's one of the reasons I really wanted an iPhone--it's so intuitive! "I'm an iPhone and I'm almost 3!" (That's a take-off of one of the Microsoft commercials, in case you missed it.) My next goal is to get him to wear the headphones while he watches so I can listen to NPR. After that, I need to figure out what to do with Seth!

Productivity and Then Some

I've been feeling really good about how much we've been accomplishing on the weekends recently. On top of the normal responsibilities--laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning, cooking, and errand-running--we've been packing. We're two weeks out, and we have about about three-fourths of the house packed. That might be a bit of an exaggeration, because we still have most of the kitchen and toys to pack, and that is a LOT of stuff, but I feel really good about our progress.

Of course, the reason that we've been able to be so productive is that we've had a LOT of help. Ed's parents have been coming every weekend and watching the boys while we pack. Yesterday my cousin and her 11-year-old son came over, and William was in heaven playing with a "big kid." While Seth napped, my cousin helped me pack a bunch of kitchen stuff. Ed has also been uber-productive, for which I am very thankful.

This brings up a big difference between Ed and me. When Ed packs, he just throws everything into boxes and tapes them up, and labels them by what room they're in. There is no sorting. There is no organizing. There's no worrying about whether or not the boxes bulge when they're taped up. Bulging boxes are fine. This kind of packing drives me nuts. This kind of packing, however, gets done. It gets done quickly. My kind of packing involves going through everything, deciding if I want to keep or purge things, making sure things that go together are together (this is ESPECIALLY important with toys), and then putting things in boxes. The boxes must all be flat when they're taped up. And all boxes get detailed labels. My kind of packing is organized, but it is not efficient. It takes forever. So ultimately, Ed's system is better, and I'm deferring to him. And because of that, "we" have gotten a lot done.

In addition to packing today, we went to the new house for our walk-through with the landlord. We brought William with us so he could get a feel for the place. We went all throughout the house and walked around outside. William stayed upstairs for a few minutes when we were downstairs, and he managed to find some Comet under the master bath sink which he spilled on the floor. When I went upstairs to find him, he was clearly contemplating how he should handle the situation. He looked very guilty and sheepish. It was kind of cute. But it also reminded me that he's getting to the age where he's starting to try realize that it's better if we don't find out what he's up to. Anyway, after we got home, William told us several times that he likes the new house. I think we'll be happy there. And if not, it's only temporary.

In other news, Seth is walking all over the place, and it seems as thought walking comes with a new attitude. He has turned into a little terror! He is definitely going to give me a run for my money--much more than William has. He doesn't have the same sense of self-preservation that William has. He has no fear, and a strong sense of independence. William better watch out! The poor guy is still teething really hard, though, and despite the fit-throwing and hitting (yes--he's hitting!), he mostly just needs to be held by his mama. And for the most part, I happily oblige!

So that's our weekend report. Lots done, but still lots more to do. I'm looking forward to moving, if only to get my life back in order.

From Steps to Walking and Backseat Driving

Yesterday, Seth was taking steps. Today he's walking! William is as excited about as I am. When we got home from work, I was in the other room when I heard William say, "Mommy, Sef's walking! Good job Sef!" Sure enough, Seth has started walking from spot A to spot B. He's realized that he can and I think he's pretty proud of himself, too. I managed to get some video.

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Meanwhile, William has become the consummate backseat driver. He tells me to slow down. He tells me if I get too close to the car in front of me. And when we get close to home, he'll say, "You did a good job driving, Mommy!" He also questions me all the time, and tries to redirect me. "Why are you going dis way Mommy?" "I wanna go dat way!" "No Mommy--don't turn here!" If it wasn't so freakin' funny, I might get irritated. What was I saying about playing DVDs in the car? . . .

Seth is 10 Months Old! Seth is 11 Months Old!

As some of you might have noticed from the pictures I posted yesterday, Seth is getting SO BIG!!! I never did post his 10-month pictures, nor did I write about what he was doing at 10 months. He still had no teeth, was cruising on furniture quite a bit, and was starting to balance a little without holding onto anything. He was climbing stairs like a pro and was getting into table food. He loves music and was dancing whenever he heard some. And he was waving any time someone said "Bye-bye." He could also do the "So big!" bit, where he stretches his arms in the air. (Although his version is cute because he holds his hands together first and then holds them above his head.) He was babbling quite a bit, too, and would say "Ma-ma-ma-ma" when prompted. Here are his chair pictures at 10 months. I'm bummed I never got one with him and William, but such is life!


At 11 months old, Seth is taking steps--as many as five in a row. He claps and waves and repeats lots of consonant sounds. He likes to eat and his favorite foods are probably macaroni and cheese and waffles. He still loves music and is very vocal. He repeats lots of sounds--especially when William talks to him. He also has a bit of the devil in him. He delights in doing things that he knows he's not supposed to, like going up the stairs, and pulling my hair, and anything else that elicits the "No!" response. It's hard not to smile at his infectious grin. Here are his 11-month pictures. William made it into this round, and they turned out pretty cute. (You can tell by the bruises on Seth's face that he's learning to walk. The poor child looks abused! He ran out of room on his forehead and managed to bruise his cheek last night!)

Making Progress

I have had so many things I've been wanting to blog about this past week. But I'm still struggling to find the time to blog. Someone needs to invent an instant blogger, where you can dictate to your blog as things are happening, and your post will automatically get written. Until then, I'll just have to keeping trying the old fashioned way.

So now that I'm here . . . hmmmm . . . what did I want to blog about? Crap. Well, I guess I can start with weekend accomplishments. Today, Ed's parents came over to watch the boys so we could do this:

I think we got a lot accomplished, including most of the main level packed (except for the kitchen), but there is still soooo much more to do. Ed took to his parents' house a big load of boxes that have been sitting in our garage since we moved in. There were tons of books, and a bunch of memenotes-type stuff that probably should have been sorted through first, but for the sake of time, we just decided to take it as is. Thank goodness his parents have a ginormous basement.

Yesterday, William and I ran a bunch of errands, including going to the UPS store and mailing two items--one of which should have been mailed months and months ago. It's a box of maternity clothes that have been sitting in the back of my car, all boxed up, for forever. (MJ--they're on their way!) The other thing I mailed is a birthday gift for a friend, and this mailing is a HUGE accomplishment because I NEVER manage to mail anything off in time, and this package will actually get to her in time for her 35th birthday! (Hint hint!) At least I hope it does.

My weekend also included laundry, dusting the house (I just couldn't stand it!), and going to the grocery store this morning with both boys in tow. Not too shabby, huh? The highlight of the weekend, however, was today's weather, and getting to play outside with the boys. It almost made my heart ache to think about leaving our yard, and what it will be like without it. But I'm sure it will be fine. There's a fish pond down the road, and a basketball court and a tot lot close by (on either end of our row of townhouses), and the elementary school playground a short walk away, and the swimming pool, of course, where I hope to spend lots of time this summer. Hopefully we can figure out a way to play with the sandbox, too.

Anyway, I took a ton of pictures this afternoon. These are some of my favorites.

Commuting with Two

This morning as we were driving to work, I glanced over my shoulder at William, who had been a bit quiet. He looked up at me and said, "I'm just thinkin' 'bout dirt, Mommy."

I said, "Really? What about dirt?"

He had a small wooden dowel, and he was using that as his "control" and was pretending to drive a bulldozer and push dirt around. He proceeded to explain all of this to me, quite earnestly. I love that he is using his imagination on our commute to work.

There was a time when I had the DVD player hooked up in the car, and it was soooo easy to let him watch vidoes on the way to and from work. But since I let him watch PBS in the morning (usually Between the Lions, SuperWhy, or Martha Speaks), and he also gets to watch something when he does his nebulizer treatment at night, adding videos in the car was just too much of a good thing. So instead, we interact as I drive. And William and Seth interact. (When Seth isn't sleeping.) And while this interaction isn't always pleasant (some of my worst Mommy moments have occurred in the car), and while I don't get any "down time" between work and home, I'm still very glad that I took the DVD player out of the car.

To provide a bit more detail, our commute to and from work is usually from 45 minutes to an hour. In no traffic, it can take as little as 30 minutes. In very heavy traffic, it can take us well over an hour. I always start our commute off listening to NPR. I also make sure that William has his OJ in the morning, and his diluted apple juice for the ride home. (I'm thinking of nixing the afternoon apple juice, though, because he's often times not hungry at 6:30 when I serve dinner.) He also usually eats his breakfast in the car on the way to work--either cinnamon toast, a waffle, or pancakes, with grapes, banana, or some other kind of fruit. When he was younger, I also had to make sure I had his blankie, but he's outgrown that phase for the most part, so we usually leave blankie at home. Also when he was younger, I used to stock the car with various books and toys. He still often brings a car or truck or digger to play with, but for the most part, we just talk the whole time.

When I say "talk," this usually means that William observes out loud, and I comment on all his observations. He often asks questions, like, "What's that digger doing, Mommy?" God forbid I say, "I don't know." If he's in the right kind of mood, saying "I don't know" will induce a meltdown. Usually I can throw the question back at him--"What do you think the digger is doing?" We talk about the trucks and garbage trucks and construction trucks that we see on the road. We talk about the buses. And we look for the "doggie" bus (the Greyhound). We talk about how everyone is going to work, or going home. And the trucks are going to the construction site or back to the garage. And we pass a few construction sites along the way and we look to see if the diggers are working. If they're not, we say that they're "parked." He'll tell me what he ate at school, and who he played with. We talk about what we'll do when we get home.

It usually isn't very long before William asks to listen to music. He was on a Barney kick for a while. And we have a CD with songs that say "William" throughout them, and he liked that for a while. He loves Mary Chapin Carpenter ("Come on, Come on CD), and lately, he likes listening to a bunch of songs we downloaded on my iPhone, including the Cars soundtrack ("Real Gone" and "Life is a Highway"), "I Like to Move It, Move It" from Madagascar, and the ever-popular "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz.

Some days in the car are more difficult than others. He's irritable and I'm irritable and he pushes my buttons. If i'm not paying close enough attention to him as he talks (as in, if I tune him out, which mothers often do!), he screams, "TALK TO ME!!!!!!" He screeches or kicks the seat or wakes Seth up. He's usually really good with Seth, and if he's screeching and Seth laughs and screeches back, I just let it go. He'll grab toys out of Seth's hands, but if I remind him to take turns, he'll give the toy back, or find something else for Seth to hold. Seth usually doesn't care anyway. If he gets really bad, I turn off the music, and he gets very upset and will stop whatever he's doing. Or I can threaten to give him a timeout when we get home. He responds pretty well to threats, luckily!

Speaking of Seth, he is very different in the car than William was at his age. He is not a pacified by toys or books as William was. He just wants to get the heck out of the car seat, so he mostly whines the whole time. He usually falls asleep in the car, but if he doesn't, he likes to listen to music, and he mostly likes to hold my hand. For most of the car ride, I have by right arm stretched behind me so he can grasp my fingers. My only necessity for car rides with Seth are several extra pacifiers, and my hand. My arm usually aches by the time I get to work, but it's worth it to not hear him whine! Part of the problem may be that I still have him in his infant seat. We're getting a new seat for William in the next few weeks, so Seth will get to ride in the Marathon, which he may find more enjoyable. Probably not, though. We'll see!

So that's our commute. It's often not pretty, but I do feel like it's time that I'm interacting with the boys. Not so much with Seth, yet, but we'll get there! And I'm sure he's getting something from listening to William's and my conversations. And as Seth gets older, the two of them are interacting more and more. On the days that I get home feeling completely drained, and I haven't even started our evening routine of playing, getting dinner, baths, and bed, I think about how the next 4 years will probably fly by. And then I'll be commuting all by myself again. And that will be time I won't be spending with the boys. And that makes me sad enough to appreciate the time I have.

Weekend Report

I didn't get as much done this weekend as I had hoped, but that's the story of my life. Ed got our taxes done, so that's a biggie off his list. And I did manage to go through some things in our storage room and I sorted through William's and Seth's drawers and weeded out things that were two small or things they never wear. I started our Goodwill pile, so that's progress, too, right? I returned a few things to Walmart today, so that's a big check off my list. I'm terrible at returning things! And of course, there was laundry and grocery shopping and other household chores. (I didn't really clean, though. Other than keeping toilets and sinks clean, and the house vacuumed, I decided I wouldn't waste time dusting or cleaning floors--other than spot-cleaning--since we're moving in a few weeks and I'll have to clean after we're out anyway.)

The boys are okay, although it looks like they're both getting colds again. Seth is either teething hard or else he has another ear infection. He has not been sleeping well at all and has been very temperamental. He's actually started throwing mini-temper tantrums. He drops to the floor and lays his head down when you take something away from him or don't give him something he wants. I can't help but laugh. He's been taking lots of steps, too. He'll be walking before we know it!

In William's world, not much is new. He's looking forward to his birthday and to Seth's birthday. He knows we're moving but probably doesn't really know what that means. I think he'll do fine with the move. I made whole wheat waffles this weekend and both boys ate them up! I made cauliflower, too, but neither of the boys liked it. Seth has not been eating very much for dinner lately. He's over baby food, but I'm having a hard time finding other foods that he'll eat. He loves mac'n'cheese and cheese toast. But I'm trying to avoid cheese in his diet. He's not that crazy about vegetables, though. Or beans. He likes peaches and grapes. And Ritz crackers and waffles and pancakes. I'll just keep trying with him. He'll hit a growth spurt sooner or later!

That's enough babbling for now. I read The Last Lecture this weekend and it's definitely gotten me thinking about my life and how I'm living it. I have so much to say about that, and several unfinished posts to prove it, but I just can't find the energy or focus to write what I really want. So those will have to wait for now. What I most need to focus on is getting organized for our move. "Getting organized"--that makes me life. Who am I kidding? I still have a few weeks, though. Miracles can happen.

"Last Night"

To William, anything that happened in the past happened "last night." It took me a while to figure this out. I kept thinking that maybe he was dreaming a lot. This morning he said, "Me and Simone (his friend at school) played in the snow last night!" That happened well over a month ago. He'll often talk about things that he and Daddy did "last night," like they went ice skating, and watched the airplanes "at the airplane port!" (another favorite Williamism) and he sat on the bulldozer at Grandma's house--all last night. It's fun to see the progression of time recognition in toddlers. (Or the lack thereof!)

Spring Teaser

Like most of you along the east coast, we've had a real taste of spring these last few days. William has been spending lots of time outdoors, and enjoying every minute of it. His daycare class spent the whole morning outside, and Seth's class got outside for a good hour, too. And of course, as soon as we got home, William wanted to play outside. With the extra hour of daylight, who could resist? We sat outside and William played with his trucks and diggers while Seth enjoyed crawling around in the grass and dirt, picking up sticks and mulch. I'm so looking forward to warm weather and no more jackets and playing outside and swimming!

The time change hasn't messed us up too badly this time around. We went to Ed's parents on Sunday and William skipped nap, so he fell asleep in the car on the way home and was in bed asleep by 8:30. This morning and tonight were totally normal, up around 6:15 a.m. and to bed by 8:00 p.m. That's a relief!

I'll end with some video of Seth. I was trying to capture his new trick of spitting every time he gets a mouthful of baby food or yogurt. He so clearly does it because he knows he's not supposed to. He gets this devilish gleam in his eye. At the end of the video, though, I got him to do his three tricks. I didn't even know he could clap (which explains why I sound so excited at the end). I've been trying to teach it to him, but that was the first time he did it for me. It's kind of long, but still cute.

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A New Place to Live

We found a new place to live today. We looked at three places, and while that may not seem like a lot, based on what we've seen and what we know is out there, it wasn't hard to make this decision. There are some definite trade-offs. It's a townhouse with a brick patio and no "yard" to speak of. The patio isn't even fenced in. There's no garage--just two parking spaces in front. (At least there are two in front, though!) And while it's closer to the city than where we live now, it's still farther away than I had hoped to be.

On the positive side though, it's pretty big and has a nice layout. The kitchen, while not modern with granite and stainless steel, has lots of counter, cabinet, and drawer space, and a pantry! (Woo-hoo!) It also has a gas stove, which I'm very excited about. There's a family room off the kitchen with a gas fireplace. The master bedroom has two walk-in closets and a soaking tub in the bathroom. The other two bedrooms are decent-sized. And the laundry room is upstairs! (Can I hear a "hallelujah!") The basement rec room is huge and has a bump out area for an office. It also has a nice-sized room for storage, or whatever, a full bath, and even a little room/closet set up as a workshop. All of our basement furniture, including William's playhouse, will fit there with no problem. In fact, all of our furniture should fit fine, including our piano. It's the lawn/garden stuff that we may have a problem with.

The community has a pool and tennis courts. There are tons of walking trails, and there's a lake close by. There were all kinds of kids and families out and about, so that was nice to see. There's a very small tot lot at the end of our block of townhouses, and an elementary school with a nice playground within walking distance. And the clincher is the rent. We'll be paying $200 less a month than we pay now for our mortgage. Also, the couple who own the house seem very nice and cool and easy to work with. They're local and bought the townhouse as an investment two years ago. So that's a nice plus. Ultimately, it was a decision of paying more for a smaller place with fewer/no amenities but closer in, versus paying less for bigger, with amenities, but further out. The fact that it's not as far out as we live now, though, helps. It will probably take about 15 minutes less to get home.

I wish I could say I'm jumping-for-joy excited. But I'm still feeling very ambivalent about the whole thing. I'm disappointed that we couldn't find something with a better "yard," or at least a fenced-in patio where I could turn William loose and not have to worry about being outside constantly. We have patio furniture that I'm pretty sure won't fit on either the patio or the deck that's off the family room/kitchen. I'm not even sure we could use William's sand box on the patio. We can probably figure something out. Just beyond the patio is a grassy common area, and beyond that is a big resevoir-like basin, but it's totally dry. I think it's an overflow, catch-all, in case of heavy rains or something. It's like a big, empty pond--but grassy. Hard to explain, but with the snow we had last week, it had clearly served as a great sledding hill. There were a couple of abandoned sleds at the bottom. So that's actually a positive, I guess.

It's a nice community and I bet we'll meet a lot of nice people there. I liked the socializing that occurred among neighbors when we lived in our condo community, and I get the feeling it's the same way at this place. I'm sure once we're there, I will be happy that we moved. It will be fun to have the pool this summer, and to have a new area to explore, and to make new friends. And it's not like this is forever. So let the packing begin! Aghhhhhh!

I "heart" My iPhone

Did I mention before the I LOVE my iPhone? (This is for you MJ!) I completely forgot to mention the iPod and instant connection to iTunes. I've purchased several songs on the fly (two from Cars, and one from Madagascar--"I Like to Move It"--for William, along with a couple just for me) and I love the instant gratification! I've also downloaded a couple of podcasts, and love that I can do it right when I hear about them, as opposed to having to remember later to do it.

I also love the camera, and being able to snap instant pictures. My digital camera is pretty big and is usually "put away" so capturing those spontaneous moments does not always happen. With the iPhone, however, I've caught some good stuff. Including this:

And this:

(Capturing the joy of licking the bowl after making brownies!)

I also love that I now have pictures whenever anyone asks. I mentioned the boys today to some of the women in the class I've been taking, and they asked to see pictures. And I could show them some! Now I don't seem like an uncaring mom for not carrying pictures of my kids around in my purse!

I think I mentioned this before, but I took notes from my class on my iPhone notepad, and then instantly e-mailed them to myself when the class was over. Brilliant, huh? I no longer need to worry about keeping a pen in my purse.

Tomorrow, we're looking at three rental properties, and on Sunday, we're looking at two more. So I entered each property into the map and bookmarked them, and tomorrow and Sunday, we can just pull up the map and then ask for directions from one property to the next. In the notepad, I made a separate note for each property with the rent price, contact name and phone number, and some of the questions I have for each one. Tomorrow I'll just jot down my notes and impressions as we look at each one. I have never been so organized! And yes, I could have done all of that on a pad of paper, but this is just so much more accessible to me. It rocks!

I keep my grocery list on my iPhone, and I have several apps which look up recipes, along with access to the Internet and any of the recipe sites I want to look at. A few times I've looked up a recipe while shopping and then been able to get all the ingredients I need. It's awesome for menu planning--especially when I see something on sale that I had not put on my list. (This process takes a bit of time, so I can't really do it when I'm shopping with the kids, but it's great to have the ability to do so!)

The calendar is great because I can send myself alerts. I've used the weather feature a lot, although I wish that app had more information. It only gives high and low temperatures, and a picture to indicate sun, rain, clouds, etc. Good enough, though!

I could go on and talk about some apps I've downloaded and other things I love. But I think you get the picture. And BTW, my plan is only $75/month. I'm on the low end of the minutes (400/month, I think), but I really don't talk much on my phone, so it's fine for me. And it includes a limited number of texts (200/month, maybe?), but again, I don't text much, so that's not a problem. (The texting feature is really nice to have, though! It has come in very handy.)

So that's my pitch. Go get one MJ! You won't regret it.

Hodge Podge

Rather than try to be coherent and blog around a theme--and end up not blogging at all because that's virtually impossible at this time in my life--I'll just lay out my random thoughts.

Part of why I haven't been blogging at night is because I've been searching CraigsList and the MLS for rental properties. We've started looking at places on the weekends, too. Ugh. It's making me a bit depressed, as I think I will really miss our house and yard. The places closer to DC are really expensive, and if they're affordable, then they're basically dumps. So we're either going to spend more in rent than our mortgage on a place that's not as nice, but is closer in, or we can stay close to where we live now (we could get a bit closer to the city, but not much), live in a pretty decent place, and pay the same or less as our mortgage. Aghhhhh! I just keep having to remind myself that we're only talking two years here. We want to buy before William starts kindergarten. I can do anything for two years, right?

William and I played in the snow yesterday while Seth took a nap, but I didn't bring out my camera because it was too cold. Mostly we shoveled the snow. I worked on the driveway, and I shoveled it off, William would shovel it back on. It was pretty funny. We went out again later after Seth woke up, but by then, William was really tired and didn't want to play so much. When Ed came home at 6:00, he and William went back out to finish shoveling the driveway and William had a great time.

William is really into Superman right now. He loves the original Superman movie and wants to watch it all the time. He runs through the house with his arms out in front of him and sings the theme song. It's pretty cute. One day I found him a Superman shirt at Walmart. He would wear that shirt 24-7 if I let him. I hope it's a durable shirt because I wash it just about every other day. At least he's wearing something other than a truck or digger shirt, right? The next step is Superman pajamas. And I also plan to order Superman underwear. Maybe that will convince him to use the potty.

Seth is balancing and starting to try to take steps now. He turned 10 months old last week. (I did get chair pictures, but not of both him and William. I'll post them soon, with a proper "Seth is 10 months old" title.) He's also eating lots of people food now, like macaroni and cheese, cheese toast, waffles, pancakes, cinnamon toast, cereal bars, soft meatballs, goldfish, diced squash. He doesn't like green veggies, though (like peas or broccoli), or carrots. Mind you, he still has no teeth. I think the bottom ones are imminent. Time will tell.

I'm taking a class at GPO this week (Government Printing Office). It's on printing processes and terminology. Today was the first day and I've already gotten a lot out of it. I wish I had taken this class when I started this job. It's nice to be doing something different for a few days.

I'm finding it virtually impossible to read anything. I simply cannot fit it into my day. After I'm done with my evening chores (wash bottles, make bottles, make lunch, prepare sippy cups and breakfast for next day, do any prep work for next day's dinner), I either get online and catch up on blogs or search for rentals, or else I fall into bed and watch TV. I've tried to pick up a book, but I can't concentrate. I keep thinking it will be better when I get more sleep.

I don't think I've mentioned how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE my iPhone. I've been taking notes for my class on my iPhone, which I can then email to myself. I've downloaded apps for keeping a grocery list and for recipes, which have been awesome for grocery shopping. I've used the mapping feature quite a bit when we've been house hunting. I can save different locations and then get instant directions to and from each one. And I can instantly search the Internet or my emails to see various listings, get their addresses, and agent phone numbers. But the most useful feature of all has been the timer. The timer is my best friend when I need to get William to do something. If he's not ready to stop playing or change his diaper or get out of the tub or leave school, I set the timer for 2 or 3 minutes, and when it goes off, he's instantly ready to go. It's amazing. He woke up this a.m. at 5:15 and I finally convinced to go back to sleep in his bed, by himself, by leaving my iPhone propped next to him with the timer on. It was set to go off at 6:30 a.m., and then he could come into our room. It was a bit of a risk leaving it in his room, as he's already figured out how to slide the bar to activiate the menu. But it was worth it for him to go back to sleep by himself in his own bed. Actually, this ode to my iPhone probably should be it's very own blog post. But this will have to do for now.

I'm sure there are more thoughts swirling around, but I should end it here. It's 10:15 and I still want to look at rental properties. Why can't there be just a couple more hours in each day???

Snow Day!

We finally got our first measurable snow today (in March, no less!). I'm home with the boys, and William can't wait to go outside to play. I'm waiting until Seth goes down for a nap. I want to get pictures and doubt I'd be able to if I have to hold Seth the whole time. I don't have snow gear for either of the boys, so we will have to improvise. Even if William and I just shovel the driveway and the sidewalk, he'll have a great time.

Here are a few pictures. This is our front yard, early this morning, right about dawn, I guess:

And our front yard a bit later, around 8:30 a.m.:


And our back yard around 8:30 a.m.:


Hopefully more to come!

Time to Jump Back In

I have devolved into a vicious cycle of not blogging for a while, and then sitting down to blog but never finishing the post, and then it's even longer since the last post, and then there's too much to blog about and so I never finish the post . . . It's not pretty. So rather than try to explain my long absence, I'll just jump back in.

I wish I could say I've been doing lots of productive stuff, but I haven't. Just trying to keep my head above water, mostly. The boys are doing pretty well, though, so I have that to be thankful for. William and Seth having been playing with each other quite a bit lately, and it absolutely warms my heart. They do things to make each other laugh, and William is starting to show Seth how to do things (even though Seth is really too young to do them). One of their favorite games is for them both to get on their ride-on cars and race around the house or the playroom. I have to push Seth on his car, of course. But they could do this for hours. It completely wears me out, but the giggles are so completely worth it.

I'm not sure if all kids are like this, but Seth and William will play by themselves (and together sometimes) with no problem--as long as I am in the room and paying at least a little bit of attention to them. If I have something I need to do, like laundry, or using my iPhone, I have to first give the boys my undivided attention for a little while. Then I can start doing what I need to do, and they will continue playing on their own. If I try to leave the room, however, they'll come find me in two minutes flat. It never fails.

That said, Seth decided to assert a little more independence today, which left me with my heart in my throat. William had woken up from his nap and was in need of a lot of attention. (He is an absolute bear when he wakes up, and it's purely for my benefit. He's fine at daycare and when Ed is with him.) William and I were in the kitchen and Seth was in the family room--just out of my line of sight. I could hear him playing as I held William and got him a cup of orange juice. When I went to shake the OJ, however, the lid wasn't all the way on and OJ went everywhere. So I had to put William down--which started him wailing--to clean up the OJ. After a few minutes, I realized that I couldn't hear Seth. He wasn't in the family room. I walked by the stairs and heard something upstairs. Seth had climb the entire flight of stairs and was in Ed's office, just happy and proud as could be. Just thinking about what could have happened makes me shudder. Thank God he was fine. Little stinker.

William is still waking up a lot at night, wanting me to lay down with him, and wanting chocolate milk. Haven't made much progress there. It seems like we take one step up and two steps back. So we're starting again. We'll see how it goes. William's classmates have started turning 3, and we're on the birthday party circuit now. He had a party last weekend at Pump it Up, and next weekend, there's a party at Glen Echo Park, featuring the play, "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie." It should be really cute, and what a great idea for a kid's party. I've already started planning William's party, but I'm really bummed because the place where I want to have it is only available Memorial Day weekend. And half the kids in William's class won't be able to come. Hopefully William won't notice who's there and who isn't.

Okay, now I'm just babbling, so I'll officially end this post. Hopefully I'll get back into the habit of blogging, even when I don't have much to say. In the meantime, I'll include a few pictures, since it's been a while.

William enjoying pizza at the birthday party:


Seth being, well, Seth: