Random Thoughts Thursday (Friday Edition)

I realized I didn't remember to do Random Thoughts at about 9:00 last night. Unfortunately, that is my new bedtime so I had to wait until today.

I finished the second season of Downton Abbey. Loved it!! Except that one little thing which I hated. The only possible good reason for wanting summer to go quickly is that it means the third season will be coming out in the fall. (Is that right? I sure hope so.) I'm starting to wish I had just waited until the whole show was finished, because I'm not a really patient person and then I could just watch it straight through....um..never mind.

Abbie's spring break started today. We are headed south for about half of next week and I am so excited. I sure hope it is warm.

Home shopping begins again in earnest today. Wish us luck!

Yesterday Savannah told me about an elaborate dream in which giant bees scratched her hand. She said it was scary but she was so excited to talk about it that I wonder how scared she really was.

Abbie and Savannah have decided that when we do get a new house they are going to have a cow jumping over the moon painted on their wall. They also have a lot of ideas about what color the walls will be in each room. Maybe I could get talked into a purple living room...but I doubt it.

What Do You Do? by Abbie Gray Age 5

What do you do when it comes?
Do you run?
Do you stop?
Do you find it?
Or do you have fun?
So what do you want to do? Play
So what do you want to do next? ______
Choose another.

*Spelling modified.

Random Thoughts Thursday

Newer pictures of Nate have been requested. Here you go!

He looks like he has a little attitude in this shot. Thankfully, so far he doesn't.

Nate Update: Nate loves his binki, and his sisters. Most other concerns are irrelevant. He thankfully got Russ's eyes, at least the fact that they are big and beautiful.

The last few nights haven't been too bad. But now that I've said that we'll have a bad one. It is how it seems to go around here.

Most of my reading is, well, dessert reading. I read what I like and it is usually light and fun. However every now and again I have a craving for meat and potatoes reading. Hearty and satisfying. Last week I started reading Tale of Two Cities, which I haven't read since high school. It is wonderful. While Dickens uses three pages to set up a scene, his observations of humanity are hilarious, poignant, and so very relevant. His writing really is pure genius. I am thoroughly enjoying myself.

We have had amazingly warm and dry weather for this time of year. Unfortunately, most of my warm weather stuff is packed away in the recesses of our storage unit. It is time to find a house!

How do you deal with bored kids?

I just got my copies of Downton Abbey in the mail. The temptation to ignore all responsibility and watch the entire second season in two days is pretty hard to resist.

Random Thoughts Thursday

Today I went to the store, the doctor's office, picked Abbie up from school, went to the park and fixed dinner. In my previous life this would have been a normal day. In my post-pardum sleep deprived haze this about did me in. I can admit it. I am a wimp.

After Abbie was born my movie to watch while I nursed was Pride and Prejudice (Colin Firth version). After Savannah was born I watched the last several seasons of Gilmore Girls. This week I bought the first two seasons of Downton Abbey, and am checking the shipping details way to often. I feel it is perfectly acceptable to have some kind of escapist show as I adjust to a new child in my life.  (PS I haven't watched any of the second season yet so don't spoil it for me!)

Gotta watch this...The cello player is a friend of mine. Their other videos are pretty awesome too.

No, I am not at the caucus tonight, and yes I do teach American Government. However I also have a two-week-old baby and was just told by the doctor to be especially cautious right now in keeping him away from crowds as there is a nasty bug about. But if the people I don't want to win, win at the caucuses tonight, I'm going to be ticked. It would be nice if Russ could have an extra vote for me while he is there.

I'm tired, did I mention that?

A few days ago the girls started their dinner before my dad came home. When he got home he asked them if they were eating. Savannah responded, "No, we are just pretending." Truer words were never spoken. I just wish it wasn't true every.single.night.

Fair

Bill Cosby says that parents  curse their children  I hope you have children who are just like you when you grow up. Well, the curse works.

As I child I wanted everything to be fair. It was parents' job to make it fair. What fair really meant is that everything needed to be exactly the same for all six of us kids, or at least get me what I wanted.  My parents saw things differently. In fact the refrain I remember most clearly from my childhood is, "Life's not fair and I'm here to teach you that."

It drove me crazy as a child.

Unfortunately, my parents cast the curse on me.

Abbie is a slow mover in the mornings. Unfortunately, she doesn't have a lot of time to get ready for school, and has to be out the door by 7:30. This morning her slow moving behavior meant she couldn't watch TV while I did her hair. This was just too much for her.

Abbie: (Throwing a massive fit, making herself more late than she already was for school.) It isn't fair. Kids have to listen to parents but parents don't have to listen* to kids!!


Me: Yup. That's the way it is.

Abbie: You want it to be unfair. You like it unfair!


Me: Yup.

I just hope the curse works for the next generation.

(*Please note that listen in this context does not mean, listen. It means to do what the other person wants. Because trust me, I heard every word she was saying.)

Random Thoughts Thursday

As you can imagine these thoughts are going to be anything but random as well we've had kind of a major new focus in our lives this week.....Baby Nathan!

My favorite thing about a new baby: cuddling him on my chest where I can stick my nose into his head and feel/smell his soft skin and new baby smell.

My least favorite thing about having a new baby: 1 - Nighttime feedings 2 - Peri-Bottle.

Having a new brother around and being a mother who nurses has brought about many discussions about human anatomy. And while I would love to share them with you because they have been hilarious, I don't want to become a destination for um...different internet searches. Needless to say I think that ages 3 and 5 are the perfect ages to have these discussions. They are too young to be embarrassed and old enough to be interested.


I have just realized in the last week that as I was packing to stay in this limbo location of my parents' house I didn't considered this stage of post-pregnancy-still-need-some-maternity-clothes-but-mostly-just-big-clothes and I don't know where those clothes ended up. Probably in a box at the back of the storage unit.

I need to echo my sister-in-law. Getting rid of all the Girl Scout cookies in the house is a very good thing. Getting rid of all the Girl Scout cookies in the house by eating every.single.one. Not so good.

Welcome, Nathan Russell

Introducing Nathan Russell. Nathan was born Thursday at 4:00, and by far his mother's easiest delivery. This could be in part to him weighing in at 7 lbs 6 oz, with a height of 20.5 inches, by far the smallest addition to our family. (It is also in part to the wonders of modern pharmaceuticals that worked perfectly in this case.) Nathan is adored by all members of his family, with Abbie being mothering and wanting to hold him constantly, Savannah intrigued but cautious, and both parents thrilled that he is here and healthy, and just so darn cute.

 His arrival home today was celebrated by being smothered loved by sisters, aunt, grandparents, dad, and mom. The highlight of the celebration by sisters and dad was building...an igloo. (It is also practically the first real snow of the year and the opportunity was too good to pass up.)

(PS That is our van in the background.)

Mommy's Super Powers

I think my kids think that I have superpowers. Well not super exactly, but special abilities that they somehow do not possess. I am here to make it perfectly clear, my children, that these are not super powers. In fact, if you put forth any effort at all each and every member of my household can accomplish the said tasks with ease. (Okay maybe not the youngest member.)

Some of these tasks include...

1 - Changing out an old toilet paper roll for a new one. Amazingly enough, the packages of new toilet paper lay just a few feet from where the rolls sit. In a matter of seconds you too, my children, could change out the toilet paper roll.

2 - Pouring their cereal from a Costco size box. Now I realize this is a little more difficult, and occasionally there might be some spills, but unless you keep trying you will never master this skill.

3 - (Savannah) Wiping your own bum. You are 3 1/2 . It is time.

4 - Picking up towels after a bath/shower. Right now mom's super powers are a little weakened. Trust me when I say that it is easier for you to pick up anything on the floor  than it is for me.

So what super powers do your kids think you have?

Random Thoughts Thursday

I will be induced next Thursday so I'm just guessing that unless this little man comes earlier (which would be totally fine by me) there will be no random thoughts next Thursday. They took an ultra-sound last week and it said he was already seven pounds. Apparently later ultra-sounds are not as accurate. However  the tech told me that while he might not weigh quite that much the measurement was coming out that big because his head was extra large. Fantastic.

Some people (my siblings) seem to think that they get a vote on this baby's name. Let me just explain. Everyone is Puerto Rico. You get to vote, but it doesn't count.

Since my induction date got moved up last week I've spent the week trying to get everything done I "need" to get done before the baby comes. Unfortunately, every day I remember new things.

Savannah has been telling her friend's parents that her baby brother is going to come out of my bum, just like her poop. I don't regret the family discussion we had, just that it has to be repeated to whoever happens to be around.

I am being slowly converted to a mini-van mom. I'll be honest every time I look at the van I cringe internally, knowing I am driving such a large vehicle. But whenever I am driving it, or buckling kids in, or shuttling them places I am loving it.

My sister-in-law just texted me to tell me my Girl Scout cookies are in the mail. My already decent day just got supremely better.

Random Thoughts Thursday

We are now the proud owners of a mini van. After being scarred during college from my experience at a car dealership, I was terrified to deal with dealers, car salesmen or the number of random fees and taxes that I couldn't keep track of. It has been an odd experience because generally I'm not a person that is easily intimidated, but I really was in this case.Thankfully Russ handled everything from the shopping to the dealer to the barginning and now we have a pretty darn awesome car that we got at a great deal.  Pictures forthcoming.

Now we just need to have this little boy and buy a house and my goals for the year are complete. My vote is after those two things happen I should get to take the rest of the year off..........Yeah. I know.

I just cut out some fabric to make some bigger blankets to swaddle the baby in. Does anyone else think the receiving blankets you buy in the store are too small? They work great to swaddle newborns, but after a month they don't fit the bill.

On the way to the car dealership this morning Savannah asked, "What are we going to put it [the car] in? It wont fit in a box or a bag." It was so cute how she was trying to figure it all out.

So far, America's Test Kitchen's 30 Minute Meals cookbook has been a roaring success. This week the adults all loved the Cream of Asparagus Soup, and everybody loved the Butternut Squash and Parmesan over ravioli. Abbie ate as much as Russ, which is a big deal. The Spaghetti Carbenara last week was loved by the adults, and I think would have been a bigger hit with the kids if we hadn't used whole wheat pasta. This is a great cookbook for when I don't have the time/energy to do a more elaborate meal. (Which is turning into all the time.)

Random Thoughts Thursday

Insert any rant you have heard/felt/thought by yourself/friends/sisters/sister-in-laws/co-workers/aunts about being nine months pregnant. It would probably describe how I'm feeling this morning.

I have watched the first two episodes of Downton Abby. While I almost never get on a TV show bandwagon, this is a great show. (I think the last series I watched in full was Gillmore Girls and by the time I got to it, it was in reruns on cable. I don't even really know if lots of people watched it or not.) Before you dismiss it, just think. This is a Masterpiece Theater show. PBS. And it is trendy. When has that ever happened?

I have a head cold that is keeping my nasal passages pretty well plugged. In a desperate attempt to clear them so I could get some sleep last night I boiled some water and sat over it with a towel over my head for ten minutes. It only helped my nose slightly, but my face felt so soft afterward. I would never have thought it would help my skin as much as it did.

My sister-in-law told me that the Girl Scout cookies that her daughters sell are going to be here in under a week.  It is really sad how much I have thought about that wonderful piece of news since she told me.

Last night I did a library run to browse and get some books just for me. Unfortunately, I couldn't remember anything anyone has recommended in the last little while (bummer) so the quality of the results of the raid have yet to be determined.

Pink

Friday I got a call from Abbie's school. She had pink eye and was waiting in the front office for me to pick her up.

I was surprised. We've been dealing with colds all week but I hadn't seen anything wrong with her eyes when I had sent her to school a few hours earlier. So while I was extremely skeptical, I realized I didn't have much of a choice and began the 25 minute drive to pick her up. (We've kept her at her old school during our stay at my parents because 1- It is most likely we will be moving again before the school year is up and didn't think she would like that much transition 2 - Her teacher is AMAZING!) Meanwhile, I made an appointment with the doctor's office, just in case.

Upon arrival I met Abbie in the front office looked at her eyes and......saw nothing. I asked the secretary and showed her the lack of pinkness. She apologized and said that 25 minutes ago Abbie's eye had been incredibly pint.

"Was she rubbing it?"

"Yes."

"Sometimes when kids rub their eyes, they turn pink."

"Yeah."

Umm.....Yeah.


 I was unwilling to repeat the nearly hour drive a few hours later and checked her out. (The office was very understanding.) I thought that Abbie would be excited to have an unexpected short day. Surprisingly, she complained about missing out, and kept asking why she had to leave early.

This morning as she was getting ready for school,  she complained about having to go and how much she didn't like school (specifically writing). .

Once again, I can not win. Ever.