More of That Kid.

I had a couple more things that I meant to share with you yesterday about Leah, but my brain was fried and I gave up trying to remember what they were.

But today it came to me!

Anyway, this isn't as funny as yesterday's math/science, but I thought it offered a good insight into the 5 year old's mind. Leah came downstairs yesterday and explained that she'd had a small "accident". After clarifying that she had, in fact, put on clean undies (the night before she hadn't worn ANY to bed - because we hadn't TOLD her to, silly us) Aaron said, "You waited too long, huh?" and she responded, rather snottily (we're trying to work on that) - "No, I didn't wait too long - I just didn't get there in time!"

Also, at yesterday's interview, after she demonstrated her knowledge of Sid the Science Kid, I told the Very Nice Lady that everything Leah knows she has learned from PBS. We laughed, and Leah retorted, "Not EVERYTHING!"

At that point we changed topics. What the Very Nice Lady didn't know is that if I had let Leah continue, she would have added, "I learn some stuff from Grandma!" I have actually heard her say this, and while it is very true and gives Grandma Claudia due credit, she seems to leave a certain someone out of the education loop : ME! Or her father, for that matter. Apparently we have taught her absolutely nothing. Except for how to turn on the television, that is.

At least she mastered that one. There is SOME hope for her.

That other kid of ours.

So you've heard about Ben's bruises and Adam's sleep schedule (which last night was back to including every-two-hour feedings - grr!) and I know it's all been very thrilling, but you haven't MET thrilling until you get the update on our other child, big sister Leah.

Today we had our "family interview" for the school that Leah will be attending this fall. Yes, that all sounds very formal, doesn't it? Trust me, any meeting that is open to the 3 year old and baby to attend is NOT that formal. Plus, although the interview is required for admittance, they gave us our "congrats, you're in!" letter shortly after we sat down. Sweet!

Anyway, the Very Nice Lady running the interview was telling Leah about all the fun things she'll get to do in kindergarten. One of them is using a paperclip! to measure a pencil!

I turned to Leah and said, "Remember? Sid the Science Kid did that!" Leah looked very confused for a minute, then said, "Oh yeaah! Non-standard measurement!" The Very Nice Lady was stunned briefly, then offered the suggestion that Leah could teach the class. Umm hmmm.

Okay, so maybe I AM superstitious.

Last night Adam slept from 9:30pm until 4:15am. WITHOUT WAKING UP TO EAT. This is huge. By sleeping for this 6+ hour period, he eliminated TWO of his regular feedings. Of course, I did wake up several times when he made noises, but then he was quiet and still again! Miracles. That's what it is, folks. A plain, everyday MIRACLE.

This morning I was convinced that I needed to replicate my choices of last night to ensure a repeat - kind of like a pitcher trying to go for another no-hitter game.

Let's see - this means that once again, I should:
- put Adam in a sleeper instead of a gown
- no onesie inside the sleeper
- but yes to socks inside the sleeper!
- give him to Aaron to bounce & sway for half an hour
- put Adam in the swing to lounge for half an hour
- bounce & sway (and pat on the back - have I mentioned yet that the boy likes motion?) him myself for half an hour
- watch Brooke Knows Best on VH1
- finally lay Adam down after a final nursing
- eat almost an entire bag of popcorn myself while playing on the computer
- watch Paris Hilton try desperately to find a best friend (ignoring my complete disgust with her)

But none of these things happened. Well, except for the clothing decisions. Tonight it was simpler:
- go to church for the Wednesday evening meal
- eat two (small!) slices of pie
- watch Adam fall asleep while we are waiting for Ben to finish his slice of pie
- put Adam in his sleeper/no onesie/and socks
- change diaper
- final nursing
- lay him down for the night

Let's hope that this MUCH more ideal routine (especially the pie part!) still has the same results, namely a much better night sleep for moi. Everyone on the count of three, cross your fingers!

One!
Two!
THREE!

Survivor: Three Year Old season

Ben is trying his darnedest to get in every bruise and bump that he can before summer is over.

Challenge #1: He put a plastic kid-size chair on the front patio - which has a slope to it. And he put the chair facing uphill, where Aaron, a neighbor and I were sitting. Then he rocked back ever so slightly...tipping himself over. I was fully expecting to see blood on the cement, and all 3 of us adults were holding our breath, but that kiddo got up saying, "I okay! I okay!" Apparently his head hit just over the edge of the patio where there was landscaping rock. I never thought I'd say it, but thank goodness his head hit the rocks!

Challenge #2: Old-fashioned metal slide at the park. Slide with REALLY steep steps, covered in sand. Last year he slid about half way down the steps with no serious harm, and apparently that lesson was totally forgotten, because he did it again today. He ended up with sand in his mouth and was crying, but I had him rinse and spit, and before I could even get his face totally wiped off, he was trying to run off saying, "Me okay now!" He did have bump on his forehead that showed up later, though.

Challenge #3: This was the most difficult challenge, since it required an accomplice: sister Leah. We were sitting at a picnic table enjoying our free ice cream. Leah spotted some friends of ours and had turned around on the bench to wave them down. As she was doing some kind of wacky dance on the seat, she slipped off, falling between the table and the bench. Her leg smacked Ben, who was in the middle of taking a drink of lemonade. He fell under the table, too, and the lemonade went up into the air, and then onto him - it was dripping off his little earlobe! Needless to say, our friends located us with no problem, since we seemed to have had a kid explosion and both of them were sobbing. (Thankfully, Adam slept through the whole thing.) Aaron took Leah, and I went to Ben. As I wiped up as much lemonade as I could, I asked him -while he was still crying loudly - "Are you hurt or just scared?" And that realist replied, "Just scaaaarrrrred!" Gotta love that honesty.

By now it's hard to tell if his legs are dirty or just bruised...mission accomplished.

Flat surfaces may be the death of me.

Our entire married life, it has bothered Aaron that I am a piler. I mean, I make piles. Everywhere. Desk, bedroom, coffee table, kitchen counters. Most of these piles would be eradicated occasionally, but there was always at least one on the counter (by the phone/pen jar/change cup) that I couldn't seem to make disappear. I can't even think of specific items that might be in it - notices for upcoming events maybe? Calendars? Bills? Reminders for doctor's appointments? Notices of winning the lottery? I don't know. But I'm sure it must have all been very important.

Aaron was sure that we were the ONLY ones who had this pile, because whenever we went to someone's house, THEIR counter was clean. One day I finally cracked: "EVERYONE has that pile! The reason THEIR counter is clean is because they took that pile and put it in a box in their bedroom! JUST LIKE WE DO when we have people over!" I'm still not sure he believed me.

And the piles continued. When we put our house on the market in January of '08, a more long-term solution had to be found. The piles were pretty much eliminated. Then we moved into this great house that fulfilled so many of our wishes and dreams for a long-term home for our family.

But like every good thing, there are a few bad that came with it.

Like countertops as far as the eye can see.

Seriously. There's a "buffet" counter on one wall in the dining room, the "island" counter in the kitchen, and then the yet-unnamed counter that overlooks the sunken living room and includes the desk. This unnamed status is a problem as saying, "It's on the counter," does not help identify a location.

And if this counter space was not enough for me to cover, I had to move onto more horizontal spaces - the chair seats lined up against the wall, the lids of the tubs waiting to be moved downstairs...they all had their own piles.

Until SUNDAY! I don't know if it was excitement about my friend Clarissa visiting or the coffee I had at church, but I was highly motivated to clear some space. First off was the buffet counter. Shortly after we moved in, I realized that my only hope of keeping it clear was to keep it decorated. This has really helped! But lately the clutter has crept up even on this hallowed area. I had made some floral decorations for that space the night before, and in order to show them off, the counter needed to be reclaimed. Done and done. Also done - clearing off the the chairs and the tubs, and then Aaron removed the temptation and took the tubs downstairs where they actually belong.

Next up, the island counter. This one is tough because it is so darn convenient. It's between the garage door and the desk so it's prime territory for putting anything that needs to be taken anywhere else - mail, Aaron's work info, videos to return, magazines to read...you name it. The 4th of July parade candy was put into the candy dish instead of the very attractive ice cream bucket, and the rest was also dispersed or tossed. Also done.

That last, yet-to-be-named counter? Yeah, it's pretty much never going to be empty. Unless we are hosting some major event (during which everything goes into the lower cabinets, only to be brought out again afterwards) this is where I keep my ongoing "projects". Anything that I need to deal with MUST stay in view or it simply won't get done. And that is what this counter is for - and where exactly do you think the stuff from the other counters was dispersed TO?

There you have it - the confession of my most annoying (to my spouse) household habit. What's yours? And if you DON'T have the piles, how DO you do it? Please let the rest of us know!

Happy Birthday to ME!

Want to give me a cheap present? Leave a comment on your favorite post! Or, you know, just one you like. That would be fine, too. You guys rock.

Where the baby will EVENTUALLY be sleeping...

Since he came home from the hospital, our little boy has been sleeping in our bedroom. But this will not continue forever, OH NO. It will not. Despite his best efforts, eventually he will move into his own room.

This is the room that we have spent about four months getting ready for him - starting with replacing the drywall off a wall and the ceiling.

Most of the jungle decor has been around since Leah was born. My mom made most of it per my request - thanks again, MOM! The wall hanging over the changing table/dresser is especially stunning. The leaf over the crib (which I got at a garage sale for Leah - talk about getting your money's worth...) is from Ikea, and we have another one, but I can't figure out where to put it quite yet.

Aaron ran out of the pale yellow used on the walls, so he used leftover brown paint from our bedroom for the closet. Then we got a closet system from Home Depot. Before it was just a long rod and a shelf over it - completely annoying. Still in the plan is putting shelves over the new rods.

Under the shelves on the right is a memo board that I made from the same fabric as the crib bumper. On the shelves are photo frames - one each with Leah and Ben as babies. I have another project in the works to add to the shelf - I'll be posting on that later.

Did you happen to notice the giraffes on the wall? I thought so! These were a great find of mine. I found them here, and there are several other animals available - if only the room was larger! Mom also made the slipcovers for the pads on the glider. Hopefully soon we'll find a futon to put underneath the giraffes so that we can read bedtime stories as a family and have an extra bed for guests (the baby would make a return to our room in that case, of course!)

The windows face north, so we don't need a lot of curtain anyway, and fortunately our window treatments from the previous nursery fit! I'm pretty proud of my math skills that made it end up even. The windows have blinds inside them, making the room completely dark when closed. Awesom, just awesome.

I bought the little wooden animal cut-outs for the curtains - get this- when LEAH was a baby. Probably about time they were actually used for their intended purpose -decorating. And being cute.

I can't wait for the little guy to move in! (and not just because I won't have to hear his grunts anymore. Seriously, we've decided that his vocal cords must be from a velicoraptor. He startled a gentlemen in the grocery store the other day. If you are watching Adam's face, you can see him work up to it, but otherwise there's no warning - just quiet, then AWWWK!) Right now, his room is only used for storing his clothing and supplies and the occasional diaper and clothing change. Soon, very soon, the newest resident will take residence in his own personal space. It's a day that we are looking forward to - although I may miss my naps with the baby dinosaur.

Gift-Giving Guide for Husbands

Immersion blender good, steam mop bad.

There are certain household tools that are okay to receive as a gift from your spouse, and others that may earn you a spot on the couch for the night.

Stand mixer (like a KitchenAid) yes, hand vacuum (aka DustBuster), no.

I think maybe the difference is the tools intended use - is it something that she will enjoy using? Is it a "fun" tool? Is it a souped up version of something she already has?

OR did you go and buy her something that will carry the implication that she's not doing a good enough job in a certain area? See that steam mop above.

I do have to explain an exception here. Aaron once got me a DustBuster for my birthday and I was very excited about it. But not because I needed it as a vacuum. Oh no. I wanted it as a bug-remover - we lived in a basement 2 bedroom apartment, and we had a wide variety of bugs. Instead of crushing them and hearing their little bodies crack, I was able to suck them up and empty it outside. Awesome.

Leah would appreciate the Bullet Express food processor. She insisted that we watch the entire infomercial the other day, calling it a "cooking show". At the end of it, I was convinced we should buy it. I'm kind of a sucker for marketing.

But don't buy me a cleaning tool for my birthday. Just giving fair warning, HONEY.

People, I'm actually quivering in anticipation.

Have you ever looked forward to something so much that you actually made yourself stop thinking about it so you wouldn't go nutso? I LOVE anticipation. I am the kid who knew where the Christmas presents were stashed and purposely did NOT look at them. Yeah.

That is ME now, with this movie called Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. You may have heard of it.

I am a bit of a Harry Potter fan. The height of my craze was the months leading up to the release of the last novel in the series - I re-read all of the books and found The Leaky Cauldron fansite, and a couple others. Finally, my sister and sister-in-law and I all went to the midnight book release party at the local Barnes & Noble. I may have to scrounge up the photo of us dressed at Hogwarts professors. OH YES WE DID dress up! Dudes, the book came out on my 30th birthday. How awesome is that.

After the final book was released, Entertainment Weekly had a special "commemorative" issue which dedicated TEN WHOLE PAGES to Potter trivia. I took it to OfficeMax to make some copies for my Harry Potter party (OH YES I DID! complete with butterbeer!) and then left the magazine in the copy machine! ARGH! Of course it wasn't turned in - someone stole that gem in the blink of an eye. And of course the extra copies from the publisher that I could have gotten for free were gone by the time I requested one. So I did what any sane (ha!), desperate Potter fan would do - I bought one off of Ebay for $10.

Last year when we exchanged names for Christmas gifts, the only option I gave the lucky person who drew my name was this sweatshirt. Guess what? I got it! Thanks, Jess!

Since the last movie and the final book came out 2 years ago, my obsession has tapered off quite a bit. But this new movie has renewed my devotion. Yes, I know it came out last night at midnight. My sister was there, and so was at least one other friend, who was actually updating her Facebook status while waiting for the show to start. Aaron and I are waiting until my birthday next Tuesday to go - it will be our first date since Adam arrived, and we've gone to all the other films together, too. They definitely fall into the category of movies better seen on the largest screen possible. (All the Lord of the Rings movies came out around our anniversary - isn't date planning easy for us?!)

While I'm trying to not get too worked up about this fantastic movie, I wandered over to The Leaky Cauldron and found a link to this Top 25 list. Very fun! And a good refresher for me of certain characters and what they have been up to.

THAT title was short lived.

My reign came to a screeching halt the other day. First off, let me warn you that babies, boobs, and bikes do not mix well. NOT WELL AT ALL.

The day started well - I had all 3 kids with in at church, by myself. IN THE PEW - there's no Sunday School in the summer. (I found out later that I could have had Ben in a class, but oh well...) Everything went well, although I didn't really get a lot out of the sermon. Thanks to Angie for keeping an eye on my big kids when I had to exit to feed the little guy!

Aaron was working, so the kids and I just hung out at home the rest of the afternoon. Ben had gotten THIS:

the day before, so he was very eager to practice. Leah went swimming with a friend, and as Adam was still napping, I got Ben ready to cruise the sidewalks a bit. As he got going, I decided to run into the house to grab the baby monitor (you know, instead of leaving Adam entirely on his own in the house.) Then I realized it wouldn't fit in the outdoor outlet, so I checked for batteries - none were in it, so I had to find a screwdriver to open the battery compartment, locate the batteries...and by then Adam was bawling his head off upstairs and I didn't need the stupid thing anymore!

Remember that 3 year old on a bike? Trying to be a responsible parent, I grabbed all of the changing stuff for Adam, including a new onesie since his outfit was now way too warm for the weather, and headed out to the front lawn so I could keep an eye on the big brother. Adam is clearly suffering from starvation at this point, since he's wailing like crazy.

Ben was now all the way at Addie's house, which is our understood turning around spot. Unfortunately, he got stuck there and couldn't move forward. Instead of just getting off the bike and pushing it forward a bit, he starts yelling, "Moooommmmy! Moooommmy!" All the while Adam is also yelling, and I'm trying to shout to Ben that I can't come right now.

Aren't you jealous of our neighbors?

Well, I could see one of those lucky neighbors, one house away from Ben, was outside watering her flowers. She never turned to wave at me or anything, so I assume she thought that Ben was totally unsupervised. After what seemed like several minutes since Adam was STILL shrieking, (but was probably actually only 30 seconds), she walked over and rescued Ben, who then came sailing down the sidewalk towards home.

This neighbor happens to be a family-practice doctor. I'm totally going to be reported to social services.

ESPECIALLY, because after rescuing my child, she heads to the garage and is getting ready to go somewhere. During these preparations, I have started nursing Adam (with my cover!) and Ben has decided to take off again. I did yell several times for him to stop, but he either couldn't hear me or ignored me. (Potential optimist/pessimist test here, folks.) By now I can see the doctor's car start to back out of the garage, and Ben is halfway there, full steam ahead. FINALLY he hears me, after I've started walking towards him, still nursing Adam under the cover.

Ugh. After feeding Adam, I plunked him in the Baby Bjorn and walked with Ben while he biked again, making sure he learned how to get himself unstuck. The true gift of a younger sibling? Self-reliance.

Here's a couple more baby photos for those of you who are never satisfied:

Check out those cheeks! No, I don't know how much he weighs - not until his 2 month appointment. And he's only 5 weeks now.

Sorry, Mom and Dad. Had to include a "cute" photo of Adam - and LOOK! Dad's eyes are open!

Two quick stories on Leah, since she's not here to cover her ears and shriek. Yes, that is really what she does when I tell stories in front of her. It's lots of fun.

The other day we were at Target and I was looking for a specific brand of nursing bra recommended by a friend. While I'm standing there looking at a wall of "full-figured" bras - and realizing that I was NOT going to find anything for me there - Leah looks at one in front of her and says, "Look at those big boobs! Those are the biggest boobs I've ever seen!" and then gave it a good poke. Lots of chuckles for those shopping near us.

And then yesterday at church, she and a friend were goofing around before the service started. All of a sudden she very clearly exclaims, "You pinched my nipple!" Snicker, snicker, from the other parents around. I told Aaron about it later, and he asked what was she SUPPOSED to say? I said, "How about, ' You pinched me!'" He argued that nipple is not a bad word, and it WAS her nipple...it was MY problem that I was embarrassed. Yes. Still. "Nipple" is not a church-appropriate word.

One more tidbit - My birthday is coming up next week, and I have discovered a side benefit of Modern-Day Jane. If Aaron buys me a steam mop and calls it a birthday present, I have threatened to report it on the blog! Haha! The POWER OF THE INTERNET!

You asked for it.

Well, maybe not ALL of you, but at least my brother, and maybe a couple others out there asked for (okay, demanded) more photos. So here we go!

Leah and Ben have not been allowed many opportunities for holding Adam so far. But don't they look like they're doing a good job? And who's crazy ugly chair is that, you may be wondering? Not ours, that's for sure. We were at a family wedding. Aaron's folks own a small hotel in the town, and there is a 2 bedroom "furnished" apartment in the lower level of the hotel. Thankfully, Bobbie & Clarence (Aaron's mom and dad) were willing to take a hotel room and let us use the apartment, so that Adam's crazy sleeping patterns didn't wake up the other two kids. It worked out super well, and we are so appreciative of their flexibility, and also Korina's taking up our cause! Anyway, this chair belongs to the apartment. BONUS - the apartment is now air-conditioned. It wasn't when we stayed there with Ben as a baby...during the hottest week of the summer, with temps around 100 degrees.

We seem to have made a tradition of stopping to visit Salem Sue. Leah loves her, and the Jamestown buffalo, too. Aaron gets the credit for this awesome photo!

I know that newborns have limited vision, but somehow I still think that Ben's habit of "looking at the baby" like this is going to send Adam into therapy at some point. I hope Ben is saving his pennies now (haha, he thinks they are toys).

I hardly ever dress my kids in holiday specific outfits, but for some reason I get them outfits for the 4th of July about a year ahead of time. Notice that Ben's shirt is actually a mini-golf shirt, but as long as it's red, white and blue it works for me! Adam's little T was in the dollar aisle at Target when I was still preggo - too bad it's not a onesie. T shirts are not made for babies with chubby bellies!

We spent the 4th in Park River with my grandma Gigi and more of my dad's family. The town's parade is quite impressive, and our perfect timing + relatives saving us a viewing spot meant that that we arrived minutes before the parade started and Leah and Ben had a front row spot to pick up candy. Thanks, rellies! That candy got sorted and re-sorted many times, and I was impressed with Leah's generosity. No, really. She gave Aaron and I each our own little pile, which even included some good stuff, and also gave a considerable portion of her treasure to Ben, who already had his own! It was nice to see. Of course, now it is all in the same bucket anyway, to be doled out at my discretion. Or eaten by Aaron and me. Whatever.

Leah had her photo take each month on her "birthday" with an elephant to show her *ahem* slow growth. Ben had a giraffe. And now Adam has a zebra. They all continue the jungle theme of the nursery, and at a year it is fun to see them all in order! Adam seems intent on setting a family growth record, and I'm afraid he's going to miss out on a lot of Ben's cute baby outfits. People keep asking if I'm Making Enough Milk for his every-2-hour-feedings, and I think I must be, since he doesn't seem to be wasting away. In fact, he seems to be getting more squishy every day. It's kind of sad...he's only 5 weeks old, and already I can't remember how little he was when he came home.

They say that time goes by quickly, but I didn't know it would be THIS quick! Remember back 4 weeks ago when I could hold him in one arm? Remember when he was wearing 0-3 month onesies? (Granted, those are Gerber, which run small - but still. Wearing the 3-6 month size at 5 weeks? And almost growing out of them? GET REAL!)

Aaron is shooing me to bed now (trying to preserve my mental & emotional health). Next week I'll let you know what other major milestones Adam has accomplished 3 months ahead of schedule. Stay tuned.

I'll take that World's Best Mom trophy now, thanks.

In the last couple of days, I completed the following Master Mom events:

* Took all 3 kids to the wading pool. No one drowned. Followed that up with taking them all to the park, too. Left with all 3 kids.
* Took all 3 kids to the grocery store. No one went crazy.
* Gave the baby a bath with the other two "watching". People, that is the most involved, physical WATCHING ever.
* Made Leah and Ben banana splits for snack/dessert. Oh yes. I am THAT COOL.
* The next morning, took all 3 kids to do Adam's one month photos. Totally bribed them with candy from the 4th of July parade, but it worked.
* Managed to get both boys to nap at the same time, which means that MOMMY got a nap.
* Sent Aaron to a movie with his brother while Adam was in the middle of a 45 minute screaming fit.
* Got Adam out of that screaming fit by putting him to bed.
* Bathed both older kids and got them to bed - no snack OR story (too late), and no arguments, either.
* Then EJ and I scrapbooked until too late (11pm). But it was fun!

Basically what I'm saying here is that the last couple of days have made me feel that I can do this thing, this being a mom of 3 kids.

Of course, in my Mom of the Year acceptance speech I'll have to give generous credit to my loving, attentive husband who tries to make sure I get a nap every day, and my wonderful brother-in-law and his wife, who visit frequently. He cooks dinner and she reads books and plays games with Leah and Ben - can you really ask for better in-laws? Obviously, I thank God for putting all these folks in my life...including the 3 that gave me the job in the first place.

Thoughts on this whole baby business

* Aaron and I have opposing (and slightly exaggerated) views on caring for newborns. Aaron tends to see them as programmable robots - do the right thing at the right time and BINGO! You'll get the desired result! I see those sweet little lumps of humanity more as a giant wild card. You COULD do the right thing at the right time and STILL not get the desired result. Or you could! You just never know!

* After many nights of gently tormenting his parents with every-2-hour feedings (and the screeching during diaper changes), Adam decided to pull out the big guns the other night. We stayed at my grandma's for the 4th, and that night Adam not only nursed at LEAST every 2 hours, but also refused to sleep in between. He spent the time grunting and whining and twisting and moaning and yelling his head off at every diaper change. And sleeping in our bed. Oh yes. How a baby with only a foot of clear vision knows the difference between his crib and his parent's bed I DON'T KNOW.

* Last night, however, he stretched out his meals to every 3 hours. Which felt miraculous.

* I have this new theory that Adam has a master plot to take over the universe, and of course the first step to accomplishing this is to eliminate his parents. A friend pointed out that he may have gotten the idea from Stewie on The Family Guy. (I want to go on the record saying that although I have occasionally laughed at that show, in no way do I endorse it. Thank you.)

* Tomorrow is Adam's one month photo session. I'm sure he's hoping for a good head shot to include on the press release stating his overthrow of Obama. Helping his cause is the angelic look on his face after naps or meals. We're all at his mercy, people.

I'm not superstitious, but...

I love to know the meanings of names. As a theater minor in college, one of the things we had to analyze was the playwright's choice of character names. It was surprising how many of the meanings directly corresponded with the character's personal traits. I'm not sure if it's always deliberate or not, but it's a fun waste of a few minutes - research the names of your favorite literary/ movie characters, and see what you find out! One of my favorite sites is Behind the Name (http://www.behindthename.com/)- they do a great job of tracing the name's origins.

So anyway.

This baby of mine is Adam (man) Henry (home ruler). I should've known I was in for trouble.

I'm considering for the FIRST TIME buying a wipe warmer. Until Adam's nocturnal shrieking, I thought they were a waste of money, and only good for pampered babies.

Also, the shrieking. He's more of a crier than the other two kids were, although he doesn't squeal like Ben did, either. But he's dedicated. Once he starts crying, he will CRY until that breath has totally left his body. Even if the sound has run out, he will keep crying, darn it! On the positive side, that crying turns off like a switch if you pick him up.

Which brings me to the holding. He LOVES to be held. Not really a problem, unless I'm trying to to cook dinner, brush sand off two other kids, vacuum, or eat a meal (although I'm pretty good at eating one-handed.) Leah and Ben were both really okay with being put down - no fussing about it. Number 3? Not so much.

He seems to be transitioning a bit from eating every 2 hours round the clock to mealtimes a bit more spread out. Here's hoping. Also, the crabby period of his we've been experiencing in the early evenings may be linked to overstimulation of lights and loud siblings. Here's ALSO hoping he grows out of THAT.

Really, he's a pretty sweet baby. It's just that God in His infinite wisdom chose to give me two abnormally good natured babies first. He must have Some Plans for this guy.

Just chalkful of grins and giggles...NOT.

1. Crabby, crabby mommy. I don't know if I can completely blame sleep deprivation, but it sure ain't helping things. I feel out of control of my emotions and realize that yelling at my kids is not a recommended parenting strategy - yet find it impossible to remain rational. (Please don't worry about postpartum depression. I don't feel hopeless, just frustrated. I'm not thinking about harming myself or the baby. Thanks for your concern.:)

2. I am very worried that I have permanently lost the calendar page on which I was recording Adam's first month. I swear I left it right here, and it has vanished, and nobody has seen it. Of course. I started a new one while I still remember a few things, just in case I don't find the original until Adam is 6 months old.

3. Did I mention that my kids were driving me crazy today? Oh yes, they were. Just by being kids. I mean, come on. They are five and three. Get a GRIP already, Liz.

4. And, just to cap off the wonderfulness of today, Aaron called and explained the joy of HIS day, three calls from Wells Fargo about people trying to rob our checking account. With a PHOTOCOPIED CHECK, folks. So clearly they are desperate, drug-seeking ninnies, but intelligent enough to somehow get ahold of our bank account number. Thankfully they didn't get any cash, but we still have to open a new account and shut down the old one, which means also redoing all our online bill pay. AND we have no way of getting cash.

5. Which really stinks for me, since today of all days I found a futon on Craigslist that I was ready to buy. Aaron is pessimistic about that whole idea, and for some reason is convinced that everybody pees on their futons. And then sells them to unsuspecting fools on Craigslist. (PLEASE don't write about your experiences with peed-on futons or beds in the comments. I'm trying to WIN this argument.)

Here's hoping for a better tomorrow!

Third Time's the Charm

Today the kids and I went for a short walk. My daughter is speedy on her two-wheeled (plus 2 more training wheels) bike, but her endurance leaves much to be desired. Ben needed many many nudges with the stroller to keep him moving. Enough to really grate on my nerves. It's one thing to take a leisurely stroll at a steady pace, but entirely another to take a leisurely stroll for 3 steps, and then have to prod the 3 year old on the trike in front of you. Over and over again.

But I digress.

Upon returning from the walk, I told Leah that she could continue to ride her bike in front of the house, if she so desired. She had other plans, and said what they were. But for the life of me, I couldn't figure out what she said. None of the expected responses were fitting, either (I've gotten good at this substitution game, thanks to Ben. It's kind of like Pyramid for mommies.)

I had to have her repeat herself twice more before I got it. My skirt-wearing, pink-loving, fraidy-cat little girl was going "to wreck an ant hill". Why I didn't get that the first time, I don't know.