Progress

Tommy & John have been making some serious progress in their strained relationship. 

Tonight I got John out of his bundled car-seated routine and we all sat around watching him lay there. 

Tommy pointed and giggled and "sorry John"ed at him for longer than he ever has before. Plus the two of them compared muscles. So I'm pretty sure there's nothing left except for Tommy to teach Little John how to kiss and drive. Right? 

"Muscles!"

Did you wanna catch the live version?

My mom always says that seeing us (her kids) get along is her favorite thing ever. I thought she was lying until tonight.

Best. Night. Ever.

Tommy's Branch

I was excited to have Tommy help decorate the tree this year. Fortunately for me, he was excited too.

Although I think the tree has about 1,000 too few lights, I simply love the way it turned out.

Particularly Tommy's favorite branch.



Since I took this photo about 5 more ornaments have migrated from other places on the tree and taken up residence here too.

Christmas is magical with a 2-year-old.

Just 10

This bracelet is supposed to remind me of the health benefits of losing "just 10" pounds.

On Thanksgiving it reminded me to eat "just 10" pieces of pie.

Things Which Double As Burp Rags

When Tommy was only 3 weeks old I hadn't learned yet that everything we owned would be covered in his spit up eventually anyway and I was still trying desperately to keep everything that was not a burp rag un-burped-on.

Now that I'm all wise and stuff, I am completely aware that everything I own will be a burp rag eventually anyway. And so you get a list.

Things Which Double As Burp Rags:

• Blankets - they are LITERALLY the exact same thing as the burp rag - just bigger. Which is better when your kid is a spitter. 
• Bibs - why I ever thought bibs were for meal times is beyond me. Bibs are for spitting.
• Shirts - John's shirts, my shirts, Tommy's shirts......
• Placemats - OK I didn't intentionally use our placemats as a burp cloth, but Johnny did. 

Huh, I wouldda thought that was a longer list. Turns out I don't own that many things made of fabric.

Peace!

We spent like 4 hours in the car this Thanksgiving, miraculously Tommy did great with all the driving.

He liked to point to all of the mountains, and the cars and the trees. I learned that between my house and Logan there are A LOT of mountains and cars and trees.

Then we started singing car songs.

Which lead to hand actions.

Which is why Tommy spent 5 solid minutes saying "peace!" and flashing various gang signs because the peace sign is way too hard.

Christmas Help

I let Tommy stay up way past his bedtime because he agreed to help me put up Christmas.

He tested my lights

And put the balls on the tree

because my hands were full.

Later we set up the nativity and ate a bite of pumpkin pie for dinner before kissing the "snowman tall tall tall!" goodnight.

He really is delightful isn't he?

So handsome

I thought since we all looked like real people (and 3/4 of us were very handsome!) that we ought to take a quick family picture before leaving for our Thanksgiving dinner.

Just add self-timer.....

Eventually we got one that was not too bad....all things considered.

Bowling

Over the weekend we decided it was high time we went out to do something fun. And Josh had a slow afternoon at work, so we "hurried to beat the crowd" and 1.5 hours later we were exactly 10 minutes from our house at the bowling alley!

Tommy thought it was awesome. He pushed the ball down the thing and excitedly shouted "Yes!!!!" as soon as he was done every time.

We shared a seating area with one of the office people from Dr. Man's office while we were there, and she was kind enough to take a picture of "all" of us. I'm only now realizing that John (who slept in the carseat the entire time) was over by our seats making this not exactly a picture of "all" of us. Bad mom!

Tommy's shoes were at least 3 sizes too big, but he proudly wore them anyway. Cutest thing I've ever seen.

Tommy was surprisingly good at pushing the hot pink ball down the ramp.

So good that he nearly beat me! 

Tommy loved it, Daddy loved it, Mommy loved it, Little John napped through it, so we're calling it a smashing success!

Bowling is definitely a family outing we'll do again soon.

Grateful

I thought I'd already discovered everything there was to be grateful for by now. But just like the last time I had a newborn at this time of year, I'm finding a whole new list of things to be thankful for that I never thought of before.

So I give you:

Things I didn't know I was grateful for (Part II):

• Nursing pads. Because it's more than a little awkward to wander around with wet spots right there.
• A bassinet. I remember coming home from the hospital with Tommy thinking "wouldn't it be cool if the hospital gave you that plastic tub on wheels to take home? That thing was cool." this time we're borrowing a bassinet from friends and it turns out it's the same thing. And it IS cool.
• The "beep beep" button that locks the doors on Josh's car. I realize I'm like 20 years behind the rest of the world on this, but using the key to lock the doors on my car hasn't ever really bothered me until now. I have to walk around to the wrong side of the car to get out the other child and then walk back around it again to lock the car. Dear Car Thieves, Just because my doors aren't locked doesn't mean you can steal my car. OK? Love, Lazy Mom
• Front. Load. Washer. I might have thought I loved it when we first got it, but I had no idea what love was back then.....
• Johnathan (yes, we're spelling it that way. yes, I know it's weird (now).) John. Johnny. 
• Tommy as a big brother. He's getting sweeter and nicer every day. (And a little meaner too.)
• Nursing. But I also hate it OK?
• Curious George 2. Likely the only reason Tommy hasn't run away from home.
• The lady at Cookie Cutters who gave Tommy his first real haircut today. Mostly that she didn't laugh at me when I said "well, I sorta want to be able to spike it on top, but not on Sundays...can you cut it like that.......except on Sundays?"

Of course I'm also re-grateful for all the good stuff:

• Family
• Food
• Epidurals
• Church
• Naps
• Health
• Maternity pants on Thanksgiving

Anything new on your gratitude list this year?

Swaddled

These baby straight jackets swaddling blankets are supposed to be idiot proof.



I'm sensing a career in magic.
Watch out Houdini.

See Jane

C. Jane & Hillarye were both due the same day as me.

My baby has already gone from this:

To this:

Hilarye's baby rocks a full head of fluffy hair after she bathes. Isn't she adorable? I'm betting she's already been through a round of shots with the Dr. and is on some kind of schedule because her mom is wonder woman and she's OLD. (Like 2 months old. SO old!)

C. Jane's baby is still baking.

Someone please explain to me how that's possible and/or fair?

Well hello there!

Didja miss me?



I just really love this boy. Totally worth the sleep deprivation.

"Sorry John"

Remember back when I thought Tommy & Johnny were gonna be best friends?

I'm still hanging on to that hope, but the first few weeks were a little rough.

When Tommy came to the hospital to meet Tommy I had pictures in my head of our brand new family of 4 huddling around our newest addition counting his tiny toes together. I was certain Tommy would want to hold him and snuggle him and tenderly kiss his head. And these pictures came from other people's actual photos of their kids meeting new babies in the hospital.

When my parents brought Tommy to the hospital to meet John when he was just a day old. Grandma walked in and went to the hand sanitizer. Grandpa walked in and walked to the hand sanitizer. Tommy cowered behind the door, took one peek at me holding "Bee-bay John" and walked around the farthest wall from me glaring at me out of the corner of his eye all the way. He landed on the couch, face in his hands and cried peeking up above his hands to make sure we were watching.

Even after someone else took John, Tommy refused to give me the hug and kiss I knew he'd been saving for me since we snuck out in the middle of the night on him. He wouldn't talk to me or even look at me. For days.

He hated me and he hated John. And he really hated that I was holding John.

He finally acknowledged that John existed on day 3 when Stella was hovering over John's carseat oohing and ahhhing and Tommy knew he was missing something cool.

After a week of John being around all the time, I think Tommy finally figured out that he wasn't going home. That John would be living with us for.ev.er.

Although he wasn't thrilled with the idea, he started to tolerate John.

But the biggest leap in progress came at week 2. I was feeding John and Tommy was jumping from the couch to the love sac (an acceptable form of play in our house) when he lost his footing and wound up sitting on John's lap.

"Sorry John!" He quipped and leaped from couch to love sac without missing a beat.

Somehow the part that connected for Tommy was that falling down = "Sorry John".

I didn't notice it until now, but Tommy falls down a lot. And John got apologized to A LOT.

John is now 3 weeks old and Tommy likes to throw blankets at over him and count his tiny toes when they kick out of his britches for just a second at a time. Yesterday he even kissed John's sweet and soft head.

So the first few weeks were rough, and Tommy still throws a few extra fits each day. And Tommy is not thrilled that for John crying earns attention but for Tommy crying earns time out. But I'm fairly confident that eventually they'll be best friends.

Because sometimes I catch Tommy staring at John the same way the rest of us do.

Leaf Lamp

I thought we ought to do something festive and fallish now that it will be winter tomorrow. 

So Tommy, Johnny and I went for a walk to collect leaves. 

It was cold and windy and started snowing while we walked back home. But Tommy just wanted "More! more! more!!!" It figures that by the time I get around to celebrating fall, it snows

Every time a big gust of wind came he stood in the middle of it trying to catch his breath and watching the leaves fly by him.

After pressing the leaves in Josh's old school books, we started gluing them to the inside of the big glass jar so we could have a leaf lantern like the cool kids here.

Tommy was probably a little young to be really interested in gluing the leaves to the jar, but he sure was a fan of the dipping.

The good thing about Daylight Savings is that it got dark plenty early for Tommy to enjoy the glow (which the flash on the camera ruined) until it had been glowing and casting cool shadows around the room for more than 2 seconds at which point he blew it out. 

Still, I'm calling this activity a smashing success. 

Story Time

Since Josh was off work and Tommy was stir crazy and John was more than a week old, we decided to go to story time at the library.

It was all about pirates and one of the stories had a fish in it.

I don't think my boys could possibly be more whooped over each other.

First Bath

When Tommy's cord-stump finally fell off (10 days. It was the longest 10 days of my life.) We waited nearly an hour before giving him his first bath.

Things like baths are so exciting when there are 2 adults with 2 available arms each and just one sleepy baby to care for.

Johnny's cord finally fell off a few days ago.

Wait, I just checked, it was a week and a half ago (after jut a week. Fastest week of my life.) and that is the difference between the first and second child.

Anyway, a few days later we gave him a bath, and once dad left him alone and just let him sit there he relaxed and took a little nap.

It was lovely. And I was jealous. So. So. Jealous.

Capable

See? I can totally do 2 kids.

Hurts

Sometimes I'm so enchanted by this boy that it physically hurts.



For real.

Beauty

This is a thing of beauty if you ask me. (Which you didn't...but whatever.)

You don't realize it, but these two in the same picture is a big deal. Maybe if John ever stops eating long enough for me to use 2 hands to type, I'll tell you all about how Tommy has boycotted "Bee-bay John" but for now, just be impressed. OK?

The Best

One of the best things about being a Mormon is that people just randomly show up with full-blown meals at my door without even being asked.

One of the best things about those meals is that they are always good. It's possible that this is not the case everywhere, but our delicious-to-meal record is 3 for 3. Seriously, move into my neighborhood, you won't be sorry. I now have 3 new recipes of things that both of my eating boys like enough to lick their plates.

One of the best things about licked plates is not rinsing before the dishwasher.

One of the best things about the dishwasher is that it's currently not my job. Because my job is to nurse John.

One of the best things about breastfeeding is that it trumps all other jobs. Every. Single. Time.
"Sorry, I can't do the dishes, Johnny's hungry."
"The laundry needs to be changed and I'm feeding John"
"The house is on fire, can you carry me? Little John is eating right now."

There are loads of good things that come with a new baby, these are just a few of the best.

Head to toe

I love this little boy.

Only partly because he is perfect from his head to his toes.

Nursing: The Long Story

Tommy is playing at Grandma's, Josh is at school (hopefully not failing his test on reading EKGs), Little John is snoozing and although I was up most of the night with him I'm sick of being in bed so I'm blogging instead of joining him for nap time.

Since breastfeeding with Tommy was an epic fail, I was nervous about even trying with John. Can my heart take another beating like that? But I reminded myself a thousand times that we'd try and if it worked great. But if not that would be OK. There are loads of advantages to formula. LOADS.

So in the hospital I told every nurse who asked how he was nursing that he was great, but that I was concerned about keeping up with him. I met with the new Lactation Lady and she recommended lots of the same things as last time. Herbs (Fenugreek & Blessed Thistle), pills (Reglan), nursing-on-demand (around the clock) and supplementing with formula when necessary. As an added bonus she told me she always recommends a breastfeeding stay-cation to moms who have had trouble in the past. She said if there was any way to swing it, spending all day in bed enjoying some skin-to-skin time (and a stack of great movies) and nursing anytime he wanted to would only help my cause.

I think she was joking since she knows I have a 2-year-old and that simply isn't possible, but I'm doing it today anyway.

John started off nursing in the hospital beautifully, usually for an hour at a time. The nurses were impressed with his natural knack for latching on and sucking his guts out. He's tapered off a bit since then - usually getting bored in 20 minutes or so. But in the evenings he eats nearly every hour.

So the truth is that breastfeeding is awesome. And I love it. And I'm so so SO thankful that I get to do it this time around (so far). There is nothing like his milk-drunk face when he's done. And feeding him a bottle of my milk might be the most satisfying meal I've ever made for anyone. Ever.

BUT

Oh. My. Gosh. Being attached to a child 24/7 is ridiculous.
My personal body parts have never been so abused. and I just gave birth.
However great nursing is, pumping is it's equal opposite. The arch nemesis. The evil horrible Jekyl to the Hyde.
Being the only person who can get up in the middle of the night bites.
Staying awake because "he'll probably wake up in the next XX minutes to eat anyway" makes for really long nights.

So I'm thankful and I love it - but it's certainly not all sunshine and unicorns - nor is bottle feeding.

Just one more experience to remind me that the opposite of something that breaks your heart can be hard. Difficult. Painful. Challenging. Even heartbreaking.

face-creases and pirates

Breastfeeding is probably one of the coolest things I've ever done in my life. Which is saying something considering I've been kayaking off the coast of Alaska.

One of my favorite parts of breastfeeding is what John's face does when it's smashed all up in my boob. His nose and lips get these crazy-deep creases and his bottom eye is smooshed shut. I can almost hear his pirate "argggg!"

But the best breastfeeding face he makes is the mouth-hanging-open fallen-asleep milk-drunk satisfied face he makes when he's through.

an eventful day

This morning I shared my concern about Little John's lack of poop with my mom. (2 days with no poop?!) She was equally concerned. Which is why we both nearly did backflips when he pooped this morning. Then we giggled like school girls when Josh started changing his diaper and he pooped again. And again.

The bonus pooping led to another sponge bath for Little John. Which bath is clearly the reason his cord stump fell off a few hours later - now he needed another bath.Thanks Murph.  The real kind this time just because now we can. I hate hate hate the stump and was extraordinarily relieved.

The feeling of relief must have motivated Tommy to learn to open doors and come out of his room a handful of times before falling asleep tonight. A mom of two boys is only allowed to feel relief for a few minutes you know. And a mom whose boy has just discovered the ability to escape from any room feels decidedly un-relieved.

breastfeeding: round 2

i am doing it this time and it's going well

which leaves me a one-handed blogger

which leaves you annoyed by my lack of punctuation and me annoyed by my slow pace

ROAR!!!!!

Earlier this year I found an awesome deal on a costume and I didn't care at all whether or not Tommy would be into it. I just bout it and decided that's what he'd be for Halloween because I liked it. 

Lucky for me, Tommy likes things that go "ROAR!!!!!" and he thinks it's funny to wear a hat. So he was perfectly happy.

We (and every other person in the entire state) went to Boo at the Zoo on Saturday with my little brother.

Tommy caught on to Trick-or-Treat very quickly and became crazy attached to his pumpkin. He still wants to take the pumpkin everywhere we go and greets us every morning with "tit-o-teet" (yeah...go ahead, laugh it up. We do.)

Little Brother and his family were dressed in Snow White awesomeness. That's because Little Brother had the good sense to marry someone amazing.

After fighting the crowds and seeing only the best animals, we called it a day and came home. 

That evening was the ward Halloween Party, which is.....amazing.

We start with trunk or treat for the little ones (and maybe their moms too....)

Then we head in to eat the entrants in the chili/cornbread cookoff and play carnival games and gerenally let our children run wild while we sit around talking to each other. 

Tommy traded his dragon-ness for the companionship of the devil. 

And fortunately (for me) Brother Tate was willing to set up these cans roughly 9 million times and let the kids stand right next to the table to knock them over. Set them up. Knock them over. Meanwhile I stood there marveling at his ability to bend over and stand up effortlessly.

Max (red dragon) and Tommy were born the same day and sometimes I think they're exactly the same kid. Everytime I think I'm doing something cool and new with/for Tommy, I find out that Ashlie (Max's mom) did the exact same thing on the same day for Max. (Like his totally awesome ball/carnival birthday party.) Fortunately Ashlie is awesome and took a picture of the boys in virtually the same costume.

Every year our Bishop sets up an incredible spook alley. I mean INCREDIBLE. I only took one picture of this creep because before this I was busy clinging to Josh's arm and screaming at the people who kept jumping out at me. Seriously. I screamed. 

The 12 year old boys who followed us through here liked telling me what was coming next. 

"That guy will fall asleep if you'll just hold still for a second" they lectured me. 

"If I hold still for a second the grim reaper will come and chop off my head!!!" I didn't shout back. You know...because of my incredible self control.

Turns out it was a good thing we celebrated Halloween in all the best ways before the actual holiday since we spent the real day getting Little John.

Good times.