a Mom....a Few Favorite Moments

It's been a while since my last post, as I'm in the throws of the worst sleep deprivation of my life (thank you Baby L). In fact, I set an online alarm clock yesterday for a 1/2 hour later(my laptop is normally attached to my hip), set the laptop on the floor and passed out a few minutes later. Apparently, if you accidentally turn off the wireless button, the alarm clock won't go off, and you'll be awakened to the bus honking, because they won't let your second grader off the bus unless you're out there waiting for them (which, I'm not complaining about as I like this about our school). Needless to say, I was really out of it after that for a good four hours having to be quickly awakened only then to RUN out of the house and down the driveway.

But anyway. I digress. Some favorite moments from this past week, month...not sure.

1) Overheard the other night while watching Indiana Jones 4:
Xan: WHAT THE!
Rho: HECK!

2) Watching yesterday afternoon:
Two big boys lying on the floor with the baby and talking to him. Baby L making lots of sounds that sound like he's saying "hi" so bigger boys repeat and bust up laughing. Of course, what baby L was really saying was "get me the heck off my tummy and this floor" in his nicest baby voice. Then again, maybe he really was saying "hi". My children are geniuses after all.

3) hanging out with a friend who not only brought lunch, but matched up and sorted through probably 100 socks while here, dusted, swept my kitchen floor and watched the baby so I could bring Rho to school. A debt I can seriously never repay.

4) Getting out of the house with the baby for more than just school pick ups and drop offs. granted it was just to the doctors for the four week check up, but I did have to drive a 1/2 each way. I should mention that the above nap story followed this outting.

5) having hubby stay up with me in the middle of the night while trying to get the snorting, snotty sounding baby to say asleep without waking himself up with aforemention noises- thank you for the company :)

a Pet Owner: We All Fall Down

So last night it was apparently too cold for even the cats to beg to go out, so both were asleep, curled up on the couch. Cosmo was asleep across the top, Wanda almost directly below him on the cushions. Suddenly Cosmo slides off the top, lands smack on top of Wanda, who I thought might just give him the beat down of his life. Funniest thing I've seen in a LONG time. Wanda lay there, glaring at him, one paw raised as he settled down a few inches from her on the cushions, probably just in case she needed to cuff him a good one for the hell of it (something she likes to do if he takes too long coming inside at night).

Ahh...cats.


"I fellz off za couch! :("

a Mom, Again

On 9-30 we welcomed our third boy into our family:


I'd forgotten how joyous it is to have a baby in the house, and how utterly exhausting it is. I love to watch the different expressions flit across their faces, and even if it's gas induced, love seeing them randomly smile.

JB and I have twisted senses of humor, and he delights in nothing more than getting me going. His lastest joke has been about how boring the baby is- though truthfully all he really has done is sleep, eat and poop for the past week. Except yesterday and today when we really got to see that he does have eyes behind those tiny eyelids. Now, in order for the next bit of this story to make sense, you have to have scene the movie "Waitress". If you haven't, you probably won't find it quite as funny as I did. Granted, it was the middle of the night and I couldn't tell you how many times we'd been up at this point, but JB says to me as I nursed for the umpteenth time "I think I'm going to make a pie- Damn Borning Baby Pie. The only ingredient is crust."

I'm still laughing today- otherwise I might be crying from lack of sleep :). However, sadly, he's taken to calling the baby a little crust of bread. UGH. Men.

...A Slightly Crazy Preggo: Cars Suck

As tomorrow I'm being induced, I had a lot of last minute errands to run today. Post office, the store, take the youngest for lunch at Mickey D's, then drop him off at preschool. We go to leave a little later than I wanted as I was trying to get a few things done around the house, get out to the car (a Ford Explorer), go to start it and the steering wheel locks. Ok, no biggie, right? I'll just turn it a little and it'll start...

Wrong.

I spent a good 15 minutes giggling the steering wheel, which moves, oh, about a 1/2. I press the brake pedal, I pump the brake pedal. I call the Ford roadside number. I end up talking to a local dealership. A half hour goes by and I'm FREAKING OUT because of the two cars we own- this is the ONLY ONE that fits all three car seats (nope, haven't replaced the other one YET). I call JB in tears who's trying to get me to remain calm in the midst of teaching a lesson. I call my parents, no one's home. I go back out and I jiggle. I swear. I kick it. I cry some more. Nothing.

Ok- so maybe I will try the other set of keys. Sure as hell can't hurt, right?

So, wouldn't you know, the stinkin' wheel unlocks right away, I start the car and Rho and I take off, having only enough time to eat at this point, but that's ok because I can run my stupid errands after I drop him off.

As it turns out, I don't think I even had the right key to start with. Not because I'm crazy- we have two keyless remotes, both of which have Ford keys on them. However, we also have Ford F350 sitting in our driveway (which you may be thinking why didn't she just drive that- because it's like 10 feet of the ground, there are no "Oh-shit" handles on the driver's side to pull myself into it with, I'm 18 months preggo and it's really hard to buckle a booster seat in it without being preggo).

So when JB finally calls to see what the outcome was, I ask him- "Did you by any chance put the truck key on the ring with other remote entry?"

"Oh yeah...I think I might've."

I glare through the phone and wonder if he can feel the daggers. But I only send a few as he explains he was trying to be calm with a room full of kids even though he was actually freaking out himself and didn't think of it.

Less than an hour later, my poor SIL, who is spending the night with us tonight to get the kids off to school in the AM because we've got to be at the hospital before 7:30 am, calls and says her car has died at a gas station more than an hour from our house, MIL is on the way, but she's not sure what's going on.

After about three hours of waiting, stressing and having FIL come...she'll be going back home (an hour and a half away) to get a different car before heading over sometime tonight. She's a trooper and we're VERY grateful JB's parents own a couple of cars and trucks.

So yeah, cars suck. Same car also cost us $300+ dollars for stupid brakes last week. On top of having to replace our oil tank (which we were told could have burst at anytime, losing all the expensive oil in it to the ground below).

*SIGH*

But on a happier note, the baby is getting evicted tomorrow, so we'll finally be able to meet the little bugger who has been practing his Ka-ra-te on Mommy for the past couple of hours...YAY!

...a Mom: Things That Make You Go Hmmm....

The boys were outside playing earlier, and while they usually get along great, there's almost always one fight. This time it was over binoculars. Rho wanted the blue pair, Xan had them first, so he was stuck with the green ones. But, not satisfied with green, he swiped the blue which caused the fight. Both come in complaining about the other

Rho: I told Dad on you!
Xan: (coming in after) I had them first.
Rho: No you didn't...

And as it turns out Rho lied about who had them first (Xan's a lousy liar, and Rho, well, let's just say he'd clean up on that game show with the lie detector on Fox). After a short time out, JB tells him that he should apologize to his brother for taking the binoculars and that if he wants to use a pair, he's going to have to use the green ones.

Rho's musical response?

"It's too late to apologize...it's too late....It's too late to apologize..."

I start laughing- because the kid's got a damn good sense of humor (which, of course, he gets from me). He's also a little too smart for his own good.

Did I mention he's only 4 and a half?

...a Woman: My Love List

So I thought I would write my "Love List" inspired by Operation Nice. The only catch is you can't mention anyone you know.

I love bookstores and books. I love reading. I love the feel of pen on paper when writing. I love the smell of orange. I love McDonald's vanilla iced coffees. I love time to myself, but I also love when everyone is home. I love holidays. I love that we eat kielbasa, fruit salad and banana breads for breakfast on those days. I love cranking the music in my car and singing at the top of my lungs. I love my Vermont sunsets. I love lilacs. I love a good stretch. I love making someone laugh. I love the spicy scent of summer. I love fresh cut grass. I love fresh A & W rootbeer (the kind you get at A & W- not from the store). I love a simple hot fudge sundae. Apparently I love food. I love taking photos. I love photojournalistic wedding photos. I love weddings. Paper. Designing. I love the movie "Field of Dreams". I love that it makes me cry every single time I watch it. I love classic Winnie the Pooh. I love getting flowers. I love french onion dip and chips (it's a sickness). I love little kid belly laughs. I love a good dirty joke. I love getting bookstore gift certificates (it's my favorite gift). I love the smell of baking bread, and having a hot slice with butter. I love playing sports- especially softball. I love crisp autumn days that are filled with sunshine. I secretly love snow (for a little while anyway). I have found I love gardening. I love playing the piano. I love the first day of the year when you can wear shorts. I love hugs. I love beagles (well, animals in general, but really love beagles). I love collecting barbie dolls, and I love that this always surprises people.

...a Consumer: Oh, PETA, Really?

There was a news story this AM about PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) trying to convince Vermont ice cream company Ben and Jerry's to use breast milk instead of cow's milk because of the sometimes cruel conditions cows can be kept in. B & Js replied that breast milk is best kept for its intended recipients- babies.

Uh- yeah. I can understand wanting to protect the animals- I'm an animal lover and abhor cruelty of any kind, but breast milk? Yes- I can imagine how much fun it would be for hordes of women to sit around being pumped several times a day, OUCH. I'm not saying me or the cows, or that there shouldn't be more regulations about how cows (especially veal cows) are kept...I'm just saying eeewwww.

It reminds me of that episode of "Friends" ("The One With the Breast Milk"):

Chandler: What did you just do?

Phoebe: I licked my arm, what?

Ross: It’s breast milk.

Phoebe: So?

Rachel: Phoebe, that is juice, squeezed from a person.

Joey: What is the big deal? (Tastes the breast milk.)

Chandler: What did you just do?

Ross: Ok, would people stop drinking the breast milk?

Phoebe: You won’t even taste it?

Ross: No!

Phoebe: Not even if you just pretend that it’s milk?

Ross: Not even if Carol’s breast had a picture of a missing child on it.


Yep- that about sums it up.