First race

Man, it feels good to run before gorging oneself on Thanksgiving dinner!
Here are a few pictures from the Turkey Trot, our first family race, run with Auntie LaLa. I think JM looks like a natural with his post-race granola bar and water bottle. The boys were really good for the race. JM was entertained by the 18,500!!! people and some snacks. Noah conked out. Yes, our turkey hats have paid for themselves a few times over. And, racing with the jog stroller for 5 miles didn't feel as bad as I feared, thanks to switching off with Mike and sweet Auntie LaLa. Although I've been running a lot in the neighborhood lately, it's been YEARS since I ran 5 miles, so I was glad simply to finish... and then get home to put on my elastic waistband pants! It felt pretty good to do this and have it go so smoothly. I was worried! Between the crowds, the weather, not training, and oh, the persnickety temperament of babies and toddlers, it could have been a disaster! Whew!

My favorite things

Then I don't feel so BAAAAAAAAHD!

Grateful

Grocery-shopping this weekend, I filled my cart with crock pot lasagna, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie ingredients. Looking around, I started to get excited, as we've arrived upon the season where it becomes totally kosher to greet people with "Happy Thanksgiving" or soon to be "Merry Christmas!" I'm feeling especially excited this year as we're going through a pretty good stretch this past 2 weeks. Since we figured out JM had a double ear infection, he is still throwing fits about his clothes and has a few teary outbursts a day, but it is nothing like the sob-fests we were having prior to figuring that out. Noah is on a pretty good sleep schedule, which means that I am, as well. Mike and I are communicating well, which is always good in a marriage. And I am feeling a little more content in my own skin lately. Our church is doing a book study about hospitality and reaching out to people and it's got me trying to build a few bridges, which is hard for me, because I can be kind of shy, but making me feel happy getting to know some people that are already in my life better.

I am feeling very FULL inside and even though it is currently 80 degrees and so humid I have to wear my hair in a ponytail and John Michael is wearing his 2011 Easter Jon Jon because it's green and even Noah is in shorts and it feels nothing like winter is supposed to feel like, I can't wait to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas, with these fine folk (and everyone else, too!):

Noah giggles

Is there nothing sweeter than a baby laugh? I'm sorry these videos are so ginormous. It's my first experience with YouTube, but I do like a lil cuteness on the big screen...

ABC's

A little slice of life from our house these days...

Worst mother ever

John Michael has an ear infection in both ears.
Apparently kids can have a "silent infection" where there are no symptoms other than acting completely insane. Who knew?

Thank you, Cory Thompson, for enlightening me on this! I am so glad we went to the pediatrician!

His way or the highway

Do you know what is sitting next to me right now, internet? A BIG glass of Schroeder Estate Cabernet. Why? Pray tell. There have been A LOT of tears in this household the past few days from a one Mr. John Michael. Is this what 2 is? If so, yes, it is terrible. He sobs when the green plate is dirty. He sobs when you dare go out a different door than the door he wants to go out. These aren't just cries, they are full on drama mama sobs. Just now I left his room where he was giving VERY patient Mr. MBRox a run for his money, because he wanted to wear the GREEN pants to bed and the green pants were dirty, then after minutes of back and forth we told him he had to wear the yellow pants and he was trying to take the yellow pants off, then got calmed down when we said he would have to go straight to bed, if he didn't knock it off, the yellow pants were staying on. Then suddenly he was sad because his hair was wet and then froggy's head was wet and needed to be dried off and on and on. Causing me to roll my eyes at Mike, start laughing in frustration into a towel and then head straight for the red, as I was just making it worse being in there with them.

He doesn't usually act this crazy unless he is sick. I checked his temperature earlier and he was cool as a cucumber. He is so not himself and so unhappy. I hate to see it. I worry about him turning into a brat. I worry about him not being a nice person. He wants his way or the highway and he doesn't even know what his way is. Picking clothes has become painful. He doesn't want to wear either of the two shirts you pick for him (limiting his choices) and frankly he doesn't want to wear any of the 30 other possibilities in his closet, either. He doesn't know what he wants. It is a nightmare. Getting him dressed is not a fun way to start the day. He is a monster at the moment.

Do any of you parents have any suggestions for us? I know it's hard to give advice without being here and seeing what's going on. He is on a normal eating and sleeping schedule. He gets lots of exercise. He has school and lots of fun things to play with at home. In summary, we don't give in to his every request, but also pick our battles. Sometimes it's just easiest to let him win, but we realize that sometimes you have to just say "Come on! Froggy's head is nice and dry! Listen to the story and get to bed, already!" And believe me, tonight I would have totally let him wear dirty green pajama pants, but these ones were pee dirty. Again, picking our battles! Time out works for most stuff for him, but not with picking out clothes. I've also been trying to give him "special time" lately with just he and I for 15 minutes or so doing whatever he wants (suggestion of a psychologist that spoke at his school).

Don't get me wrong; we see a lot incredibly sweet and fun in this stage, too. I know he will be little for only so long and I cherish the fact that he still wants to play with me and will hold my hand and such, but that being said, SERENITY NOW! :)

5 months!

Oh my sweet Noah. The months do fly by!
This past one was a big one for you. You are growing up and sort of on a big boy schedule! No set times or anything, but you do take 3 naps every day and have a set bedtime. That seems so big! For a while a few weeks ago you were snacking and disinterested during the day, watching your Oprah and distracted by your brother and his loud toys (Hello! Chuck the Talking Truck? Lawn mower with the green handle and colored balls, anyone?) but you were happy as a clam to focus and eat and eat and eat during multiple wakings during the night. Then mama called Nurse Kim at the ped's office who told me not to put up with that and to start feeding you every 4 hours during the day, which seemed crazy to me since I'm exclusively breastfeeding, but sure enough, it made the night-time feedings stop. These days you're sleeping at night from 7:30-4, eating and then getting up at 7ish. Both Nurse Kim and the ped assure me that you can go 12 hours without eating, but I'm not cutting you off, yet. Oh and you really don't like eating every 4 hours. I continue to feed you when you seem hungry, but you seem to do best with 3.5 hours. I generally put you down during the day a little before you've been awake 2 hours. You haven't done any crazy new developmental stuff, recently, but we are working on sitting. Right now, you fall over after a millisecond, but you like the different view. You also are moving around a lot in your crib at night. Oh, and you are putting absolutely everything in your mouth! Someone gave us a Sophie le Giraffe expensive French teething toy and I can't believe how much you love it. Your favorite toy by far. Sophie is worth the pricetag!

Lately you and I have spent a lot of time in the big, stuffed rocking chair in your room, you in my arms while your brother naps, with the crisp fall weather outside and sunlight streaming in, you contentedly nursing and me totally relaxed reading the enchanting "Cutting for Stone," then you stop, look up at me and smile and then get back to your eating. We are blessed to have you, Noah! These are such precious times! Love, Mama

Grandpa John Day

Today would have been my dad's 61st birthday. Although he has been gone since 2001, when stomach cancer took his life after a brief but hard-fought battle, the birthdays and holidays don't get easier. This year I am missing him more than ever. Thinking about my dad in church this morning, I realized that most of the memories I have of my him aren't of big sweeping events, rather moreover simply his being there. He was there to take me to Indian Princess Campouts. There to cheer me on in grade school when I was swimming in the City Meet on swim team or to shake his head when my high school football cheerleading squad was cheering "Defense, go go!" when it was really an offensive play. He was there to move me not once in college, but to help load and unload my blue bins full of dorm and first apartment stuff at least four times. He was there to listen when I was having a tough time with my first job in TV (he worked in TV, too, so he knew especially what to say). I assumed he would be there to walk me down the aisle and to come to the hospital to hold his first grandbabies, but it wasn't meant to be.

The thing my dad was most worried about when he was dying was that we were going to forget him. At that point, he wasn't very lucid and the thought seemed especially insane. How on earth could we forget him? As the years pass and now that we have the boys, making time to remember Grandpa John is especially important to me. It bothers me a lot that my dad was cremated and doesn't have a headstone in a cemetery somewhere we can visit. Hence, my family is coming over today to celebrate our very first "Grandpa John Day" a hopeful annual tradition inspired by my friend Katy who also lost her dad too young to cancer. We are making his favorite meal and toasting his memory.

If you have parents that are still alive, please savor the time you have with them. Dealing with our families is hard sometimes; we all have idiosyncrasies that test our patience and make us want to bash our heads into the walls, but you never know when you might lose someone. Love as much as you can! And, be there! Dad, we will never forget you!

Finally cold (er)

Great morning out downtown at the Austin Children's Museum, including lunch at a stoner-run bratwurst trailer. The fact that my kid loves brats with mustard and kraut cracks me up. It's so strange, but yet so normal, considering his heritage. JM downed his brat at lunch with kraut and even asked for another. Such a little German and Czech baby!

It's finally cold! Since today will be (barely) under 60, the sweaters, scarves, turtlenecks and boots are out in full force in blustery Austin. Can I say how happy I am that I will get to see this coat on both my boys? Little Christopher Robin melts my heart! And, yes, Mr. Green has green kicks! Now, if only the sweet Christopher Robin jacket were as easy to get on sire as the shoes. Somehow, the two year-old mind does not understand that there are greater fashion options than things with diggers and fire trucks on them!