Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Happy Barf-day to me!

Yesterday was my birthday. :) To celebrate, I wanted us to go to the GA Aquarium (the world's largest aquarium!) for the day. Despite the fact that Jakey and I had not been well Sunday morning, I thought we could still manage this day trip. So Rob took the day off of work and that is what we did. We had a great time there. It really is an impressive place. We enjoyed the dolphin show, the HUGE ocean tank with 4 whale sharks, finding Nemo in the coral reef exhibit, watching the albino alligator in the African exhibit (he seemed to be dreaming about chasing something,) singing to the Beluga Whales, petting sharks, and laughing at the otters and penguins.

Toby watches a whale shark swim by.

Rob, Toby, and Charlotte watch the fish in the "big tank."
Charlotte told me that she felt like she was in a dream. She loved the aquarium.

This picture Rob took just before we left. You'll notice Toby is on the stroller.

An hour or so earlier Toby had started to complain about feeling sick, and being tired. Rob and I, ever the sensitive and in-tune parents, told him to "suck it up." Five minutes later, in the parking deck, Toby vomited all over the place. (I am so thankful this happened in the parking deck and not in the Aquarium.) I apologized to Toby for not believing he was sick and cleaned him up and changed his clothes. And we headed home. Well, 30 minutes later, Charlotte started whimpering. I passed her a cup, and sure enough, she needed it. Then it was Toby's turn again. And then Charlotte's turn again. By this point I was feeling pretty green myself. Rob and I just looked at each other and laughed... because really, if you can't laugh in these moments you're just going to cry.

The Barf-mobile FINALLY made it home and I just barely made it to the bathroom. Which is where I spent most of last night. Poor Rob, the last man standing, bathed the kiddos and put them to bed. He checked on me throughout the night and helped me by bringing Jakey in for feedings and checking on the kids when they cried. Yeah, it was a brutal night. So, today we are staying home. Probably tomorrow as well. Maybe by the weekend I'll be able to stomach the idea of birthday cake. Maybe. For now we are all subsisting on water and saltines, watching many movies, and sleeping.

The Aquarium was awesome though... if you're ever in Atlanta, you should check it out. :)

Friday, February 24, 2012

6 months- do the inchworm

Jakey turned 6 months old recently. Half a year gone by already!!! "Sunrise, sunset. Sunrise, sunset." Ahem. Okay, I'm back. Our baby man now weighs 21 lbs. 2 oz. and is 28 1/4 inches long. (That's 90th percentile- for the record. I use these blog posts to compile the kiddos' baby books when they get to about 18 months old.)

He is eating baby food at lunch and dinner now. And once this week he even slept 5 HOURS in a row. It was amazing. He can sit up on his own and he even gets up on his hands and knees and rocks... but he seems to have developed his own system to get around the house. I call it "The Inchworm." Observe...

Here, Jakey is showing you the correct hands and knees pre-crawling posture. Just because he can.

But if he really wants to get somewhere...
Step 1. Roll half way to the side and plant toes in the carpet.

Step 2. Push up into a full plank.
(Beginners may want to start on their knees and work up to the full plank as strength increases.)

Step 3. Propel weight forward by pushing simultaneously with both feet and hands.
Repeat.

I find this endlessly amusing. And I certainly can't do it myself, so I'm impressed as well. It's not terribly effective though- half the time he ends up going backwards. But before we know it, he is going to be off and running with the big kids. Sigh. Babies don't stay little for very long. ;)

Thursday, February 16, 2012

love/hate relationships

You ever notice how things that we love often come side-by-side with things that we hate? I was reminded of this today as my beautiful boy threw a massive tantrum while sitting in time out for another misdemeanor. Here are a few illustrations:

LOVE:
This girl. Her laugh. The way she mothers her baby brother (and all of her stuffed animals.) Watching her dance like nobody is watching. Reading books together on the couch. Having her home with me all day.

HATE:
Growing out bangs. The way she abuses her most beloved polar bear (I gave him his 4th 'rhinoplasty' last night and a 'reverse liposuction.' The way she tortures her little brother. Being asked to read Diego Saves the Sea Turtles... again.


LOVE:
This boy. Those brown eyes. Cuddling on the couch and goodnight kisses. The way he adores his daddy. The beginning of the joke telling phase. His monotone, baritone singing voice. The amazing towers he builds out of blocks.

HATE:
3 year old tantrums. Poop- anywhere but in the toilet. The way he antagonizes his big sister. His want for me to do things for him that he is completely capable of doing for himself. Did I mention the poop? I really, really can't overstate how much I hate the poop.

LOVE:
This baby. Baby giggles. Chubby little feet. Happy babbling noises. Kisses. Peek-a-boo.

HATE:
Drool. Teething. Sleepless nights. This 'complaining' sort of crying sound he makes now.

But... here's the thing. My love of my 3 sweet babies cannot be laid out like pros/cons or love/hate. I ADORE my children. It's easier when they are behaving- or asleep- but even when they are being holy terrors I am still madly in love with them. I never knew what that would feel like. It fills me with gratitude. And I love being their mommy.

Saturday, February 04, 2012

10 things

I am having trouble remembering to take photos and finding time to post to the blog lately, but I thought I'd give a quick family update tonight-- top 10 style.

#10. Rob and I are off soda for the month of February. We don't have a daily soda habit- but close- and I can personally say that the headaches that hit me on the 2nd and 3rd have me seriously considering never drinking the stuff again. (We'll see how I feel about that by day 15 or so.)

#9. I took Charlotte and Toby to a drop-in playgroup at a gymnastics school. They (Toby especially) had so much fun bouncing, balancing, tumbling, and dancing. It was so cute. We'll be back to that again for sure.

#8. I made acorn squash soup last week. Rob loved it. The kids hated it. I thought it was so-so.

#7. According to our bathroom scale, Jacob weighs 21 lbs. He is as mellow and cuddly and delicious as ever.

#6. Charlotte and Toby taught Jacob to growl. Have I already mentioned this? Am I repeating myself? Am I repeating myself?

#5. I love the storytime librarian an Thursdays. She is animated and friendly and kind. I do not like the storytime librarian on Wednesdays, she is the opposite of everything I just said about the other librarian.

#4. We planted tomatoes, bell peppers, cilantro, and basil today. It was 75 degrees out. Before you tell me it may still frost, let me tell you that they are in pots so we can bring them in at night if needed.

#3. Rob is going on a solo camping trip soon. I hope he has a great time out hiking on the AT. :)

#2. My birthday is later this month. We're going to take the kiddos to the GA Aquarium to celebrate. I can't wait for them to see that whale shark. Awesome.

#1. We're going to UTAH! We bought tickets tonight!!! :D