too cute words

I tell Elias to "look with his eyes and not his hands" when I want him not to touch something. I made this statement to him the other daya and he responded " but my fingers want to see." LOL

Just a few of Jakes words:
He told me when he was 4 that he "has a mind for biology"

When he was 3 he said he was going to name his first child " treefree Greenleaf river"- my baby was crunchy before I was :)

Potty time

I know that only other mothers hoping not to change all of those diapers will share the joy of this with me, but.... Elias peed in the baby potty for the 1st time today. Until now he has seemed afraid of using the potty. Although he loves to flush the big one and play in the water, but if I tried to set him on it, he'd freak. ( We didn't try much :)) He also seemed aversive to sitting on the little potty. I am not a potty pusher, only an occasional experimenter- so I don't think I did anything to make him feel that way.
Anyway I know it's no where near being potty trained, but it is step 1 :)

Local Stuff to do

Some events at the historic houses:
1. Lynnhaven House: Dec. 6 1-4 pm Bringing in the Greens " A colonial Tradition"

2. 3. Adam Thoroughgood House Dec. 14 2-5 pm "Yule Log Celebration"

4. Francis Land HOUse "Twefth Night" ( ticketed event) Jan. 6 385-5100 for info and tickets to this event.

Sick

I haven't been on here in a while. I am much more nauseous with this baby than i have been with the previous two. I also have much more prego brain- can't think of things I intend to do. Basically I've bee nuts lately, and I spend my down time sleeping instead of typing.

A note on Elias

I am so grateful for Elias's personality. I am not feeling good, and this little guy is perfectly content laying around the house with me, being lazy and watching TV. He also likes to go when I am ready. Anything is cool with him as long as he's with me.

The Secret life of Gnomes

I was at the thrift store just browsing around. I flipped open a book about gnomes (a cute book written like a scientific observation journal) and landed right on this page. Of course I had to buy the book!!!

Preganacy Wish list

Glad to pay for these things- just don't want to pay full price- so I am looking for used ones:
Books:
Adventures in Tandem Nursing
Haveing A Baby, Natrually - Peggy Omara
Dr. Sear book on pregnancy

Newborn diapers
a bouncy seat

I'll add more to the list as I think of it

hmmm

I was trying to wait, cause I have had some non sticky pregnancy’s in the past, but I have a terribly big mouth and I keep sharing here and there anyway, so I thought I’d just go a head and tell you all. I am about 5 weeks 5 days by LMP. I lost both the others near 6 weeks, so since I am starting to accept this, send me sticky vibes J It was really funny cause I was feeling that baby hungry issue several weeks back, but after thinking about it- I had TOTALLY gotten over it ( for a myriad of reasons). I was thinking “no, now is not really a good time after all”. There were no accidents that I was aware of, I was just 2 days later that I expected ( which isn’t really late for me since I have an irregular cycle), and I took a test on a whim- and there it was- two pink lines--too curious!!!

At first I was in shock, now I am still a little in the disbelief thing- mostly cause birth hurts!!! I also can’t imagine how I am going to handle a teenager, a toddler and a newborn all at once! I am sure, as with all mothers, I’ll make due, but my spouse isn’t real into dealing with the harder parts of parenting ( like night time parenting) ( one of the reasons I decided what I have is enough). I am going to be so tired! I am betting after surviving the 1st year, though, it will be great for the little ones to have each other to play with J
On the other hand, clearly, that was a significant part of me that wasn’t ready to be done with the baby thing. J I’ll be looking for newborn diapers soon, since I figure that is all I really need. I gave away many of my slings, but since I can make them myself, I’ll just make more. I was dying to try some more of those little baby wrapping techniques J There are a ton of Elias’s clothes still in close circulation for a boy, and plenty of girls around me that are willing to share clothes for a girl. I’ve given away most of my baby stuff, figuring on no more, but the one thing I figured out with Elias, is that I really don’t need all that stuff. The only thing I used beyond clothes and diapers was the bouncy seat- so I had a close soft place to set him while I cooked ( I don’t like wearing babies while cooking- makes me nervous).

Ok so there is it- Sometime in late June

development

Jacob seems to be thriving in CAP, makeing friends, and enjoying the program :). Elias can count to 10 and say most of his ABC's in order.

Birkenstocks

Birkenstocks stink. I am so sad that I waisted the money on those expensive shoes. They took way longer to break in than they were supposed to. Beyond that, they are only 6 months old and already need new soles. $35 to get new soles after 6 months. Ugg! They were nearly $150 in the 1st place. I can buy a completely new pair of shoes at payless for less than it costs to fix these :(

Words

Elias said his 1st 3 word sentence last week (Thursday, I think). It was "put me down." :) Mr. independent!

My house

So I finally got somewhere on the house:

Old Foyer New Foyer

Old Cabinets and floor

New Cabinets and floor

Elias and language

Elias is just exploding with words these days!!! Our favorite phrases/ words to hear him say are:
Holy Cow- mommy's fav
living room- Daddy's fav
Jacob ( I love the way he says it "JayTup"
high ( he raised his hands high and drags out the word)
Motherhood is always so bitter sweet. I love watching him grow, but as his big language develops his baby language disappears. He is using sign less and less- he prefers to speak. His self created words are going too- he has always said bagum for apple juice and today he asked for "apple" clear as day.- He can have apple juice now, but whe he was a bit younger it made him sick. It's his favorite now.

A young man

Jacob was fitted for a tuxedo for Maggie's wedding yesterday. As I watched him get dressed, it occurred to me how much he looks like a young man and no longer like a child. It brought bitter sweet tears to my eyes. He is in that stage where he sometimes acts like a child and other times he acts like a man. In that moment, standing there in a suit and dress shoes, his childishness was not visible. Later I noticed that the hair on his upper lip is dark and getting thicker, and I truly realized that things are changing. He is not a baby, and I need to work on accepting that. He resists my authority because he is trying to establish his own.
It's hard, as a mother, to watch this change. It's hard to watch him pine over girls. It's hard to watch him make mistakes, and remember that my place, especially now, is to guide him at his discretion rather than my own. Of course I need to step in on big things that are dangerous to his health or future, but otherwise, it appears to be time to take another step back and allow him get to know the world on his own terms. (This isn’t the 1st step back, the need seems to occur at every stage in one way or another). I feel like I am losing him just a little more to himself. Maybe that sounds strange, but if you’re a mom- you get it. On the other hand it’s fascinating to watch him become a man, and there are days that he really makes me proud to be his mother.

Cute LyLy

So I am trying to get Elias in his carseat, and I have to push him in (it's a little game he plays- where I have to bend him in the middle). He finally bends his butt and says "holy Cow"

quick update

The house work is still taking up every free moment. WE are 90% done and this last leg seems to be taking FOREVER!!! The details are insane. When I finally get done with the house changes, I'll have to clean my grossly neglected house, so there will only be more :( Oh well such is life!

Status Update

We already got the termite treatment. It's making my skin crawl to think of the chemicals floating through my soil right now :( I bet my worms are gonna bite it. I had to get the termites out though, or we'd lose our house. :(
WE are making progress on our remodeling stuff too. The cabinets are all re stained ( although not yet re hung), the foyer has some tiles laid, and the frames in the kitchen are painted. It doesn't look like I've been working on this for three ( maybe 4) months ( the last three weeks we have been working incessantly). I really hope I can finish by Friday. I want to go see Josh this weekend, and I need next week to work on Maggie's bridal shower stuff.

On a lighter happier note- today I was volunteering at Jacob's school ( a commitment from before I knew I was a nut to do all this mess), and I bought Elias something from the school cafeteria ( to buy myself a few more minutes before a melt down). He finished the food and put the container on his head and told me all about his wonderful hat. A few minutes later he was throwing his airplane down the isles trying his best to engage all of those middle schoolers. He was funny!!!!
Developmental note for me: Over the last week he has been using lots of two word sentences. He's growing up so very fast :( :)

Over the weekend

My cousin Josh got into a severe motorcycle accident over the weekend. He was doing 45 and accelerating when he laid hid bike down. He had forgotten to buckle his helmet, so it came off. He slid down the road for a while with his bike on top of him. Please pray for him, or send him good vibes- or whatever good healing energy you have. He is in Greensboro NC

ugg

While we were pulling the wood away from the step in between the living room and hallway, we found termites. UGG UGG They are gross and expensive to deal with!! My project just got more complicated again!!!
Also... my cell phone quit working today :( ISO used Tmobile phone- only needs to be working and able to text

Night terrors

Last night the baby woke me with the most frightening sound I've ever heard. It was not the 1st time I heard this sound from his mouth, but it has never been surpassed on the "holy crap" scale. After his surgery in April he had several episodes like this. At the sound of his blood curdling scream, I would move from a dead sleep to a state of heart racing, breathless fright. He sleeps next to me, so I had him in my arms before I was even aware of what was going on. There have been a handful of episodes since April.

After it happened last night, we were all up for a while, and I was thinking about my discussion with the doctor after the surgery about these incidents. I generally liked this woman, but her response to this concern was not to my liking. She said she didn't know what to tell me, but other doctors that her previous patients had consulted said it must be handled carefully, if one didn't use the right response they might end up with their baby habitually sleeping with you ( and that would be terrible). Basically she was implying that it might be appropriate to ignore these episodes, not run into the babies room to make sure that nothing was wrong, and pull them in as tight as possible ( all those things that a momma gut tells you to do).

Last night, while recovering from my panic, I was picturing a terrified baby in one room and his terrified mother in the other room, trying to ignore the baby's screams because the doctor said so. It made my stomach curl. That momma gets to feel guilty either way. If she follows doctors orders, her gut will be screaming inside " go rescue your baby" and she will feel a deep since of pain over it. I am sure of this because it is the most primal instinct, and not a single thought that moves me to Elias when he screams out. The conflict between the cognitive social direction and the gut are hard to reconcile for some momma's. If that momma does not follow the doctors orders and goes to her baby like her gut tells her to, she will feel guilt at doing the "wrong thing" for her baby. (that is, of course, assuming that she believes doctors know something and is afraid that the directions given to her might be right.) It just made me sad to think of other families struggling with this extra strain. It is stressful enough to deal with this terrifying event!!

Remodeling

Craig hates the idea of painting the cabinets white. We are staining them cherry. I'll let you know how it goes.

We are in a mess. I have till Oct. 17 to finish my foyer ( re-floor), my kitchen ( stain cabinets and re-floor), and my new dining room ( at least the floor and hopefully a partition for the water heater). I am hosting my sister's bridal shower on the 18th -so I want it done before then. I have such a sporadic way of doing thing. A little here, a littler there- craziness!! So every project has a little done- enough that I can't stop now. The project just keeps getting bigger. When we pulled up the carpet in the hallway, we found that the concrete and wood under the step between my living room and hallway was a mess, so now we have to fix that before we can lay the tile :(

Hiigh

So Elias loves to talk about how "high" things are. He holds his little hands together in an arch above his head while he drags the word out as far as possible. Hiiiiigh :)

natural baby drive

When Jacob was about 2, in spite of the fact that it would have been a terrible time, I got this deep, almost painful, desire to have another baby. Now at Elias's 2nd year I am feeling the need again. Over the last several weeks, I have been extra emotional ( teary), had heartburn,and felt very tired, etc. -all of my 1st trimester pregnancy symptoms. ( I am 100% sure I am not pregnant). I keep thinking about having a baby (not considering, but obsessively thinking). I feel driven to the idea. I feel empty.

Reason's to:

I don't have a girl.

Elias could use someone close to his age to home school with.

Biological drive?

Babies are a beautiful experience.

I like baby stuff ( baby wearing, baby clothes, nursing advocacy, etc.)

Babies are the ULTIMATE expression of love between two people.

I keep thinking-- my entire identity is wrapped up in motherhood- who will I be and what will I do when they don't need me so much. WHAT will I do when they don't need me at all???

Reasons I don't want another baby:

I don't really feel that our family needs another baby. I know Craig does NOT want another baby. I know that it would be insanely stressful for me. I know I wouldn't get that fantasy nurturing and pampering other women get from their husbands when they are pregnant or have new babies. I know that Craig doesn't want to have the weight of another person's needs in his life. Basically, I know it would not be the fantasy in my head- because it wasn't last time ( and still isn't). I am not knocking Craig. This baby stuff just isn't for him. ( although he loves his baby, he doesn't tolerate the work of babies well). He is who he is. His wants and needs are just as valid as mine- they just conflict with mine.

I like this thinner than ever in my adult life body.

I would have to push Elias on a few growing up things. I don't want to. He still co- sleeps, but a new baby would take that space right next to mommy. He falls apart when spending time away from mom, and a new baby would need my attention.

I barely get any me time now with two kids.

It's too easy to let Jake take care of himself with Elias's needs in conflict- that would increase if there was another baby. Jake still needs me too.

We have an even ration of adults to kids.

The world doesn't need more mouths to feed.

Birth HURTS!!

The stress of Eilas's birth was insane on Craig. He was worried about everyone and everything.

Ironically, Elias has had a sudden increase in his carefulness and attention to babies smaller than him. Last week, one of my 6 year old nephew's was over, and Elias was going nuts trying to hold and kiss and love on him.

Is there a natural drive and a personal cycle of baby wanting? Is all of this thinking just driven by nature to make sure I keep procreating? My mom thinks so- my hormones out of whack, Elias liking babies, etc. What do you think?

What am I doing?

Nut that I am- working on my house.
I am taking a vote. Should I:

A. Leave my kitchen cabinets alone
B. Paint then Red
C. Stain them Red
D. Paint them Antique white

Adventure Trip part 5

Charlottesville, Va.

We finished our Journey in Charlottesville, Va. My baby sister is there working on assignment, so we just invaded her hotel room J We didn’t do a lot of exploring in Charlottesville. We were tired by then. We stayed in Red Roof Inn that had a flavored latte machine in the lobby, so we drank too much coffee and played in the room a bit.

While we were there we went to the Virginia Discover Museum (VDM). That was a neat place. If it were in our city, we’d probably be there once a week. It was a relatively small museum geared toward 2-12 year olds, but Jacob had fun there too. There was train table in a train room (Elias’s favorite), a toddler room with a small slide and other toddler toys, a model log cabin (Jacob’s favorite), guinea pigs and hermit crabs, a construction room, an art room, a stage with dress up clothes, and several other things.

I liked it because there was enough there to make it interesting, but it was relatively small and cozy (I didn’t have to chase the kids all over the place. It was all stuff for the kids to play with while they learned a thing or two. I definitely recommend this place if you are ever in the Charlottesville area with kids. It’s a little challenging to get to, but if you call them they will talk you in.

PS- Both boys LOVED the carousel which now sits on the street in front of the VDM:



http://www.vadm.org/index.html- Free with Boonshoft Pass

The VDM is located on the end of what they call “The Pedestrian Mall”. It’s a historic shopping district that runs along an old street (that you are not allowed to drive on). There are some neat shop, book stores and several restaurants. You can buy your food and sit at tables out in the street. It was very interesting and if I am ever there for a few minutes without the kids, I’ll explore that more.


A Special thank you to Sarabeth for turning us on to the Boonshoft Pass- it really helped our trip!!

Adventure Trip Part 4

Historic Market Square and Science Museum of Western Virginia

While we were in Roanoke we also went to the Science Museum of Western Virginia. I t was pretty neat. Jacob ran around the museum checking out everything, but he was most fascinated with the flight simulator.

Elias was fascinated with the fish and the touch tank.

He also really enjoyed the musical instruments, especially the gigantic xylophone. I didn’t get to look at it long, but there was a interesting temporary exhibit on neon. It discussed the history of the Roanoke Star (lighted with neon lights) in a video format. I didn’t get to finish watching because they were closing, but here it is on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LeHuvTtIaU




http://www.smwv.org/- Free with Boonshoft Pass

I also recommend Historic Market Square. (The museum above is located in a building on the square). It was/ is a farmers market with lots of other little shops. I didn’t get to do much exploring, but it defiantly looked like an interesting place to shop.

The Historic Roanoke City Market is the oldest such market in continuous use in Virginia. In 1882 licenses were issued to 25 hucksters. The city of Roanoke's first charter formally authorized a municipally owned market in 1884, and the first permanent Market Building was completed in 1886. This formed the core of a vibrant open-air market in and around the Market Square which continues to operate today as a vital center for Downtown Roanoke.
http://www.virginia.org/site/description.asp?attrID=14623

Adventure Trip Part 3

Dixie Cavern- Salem Va.
On our way from Stone Mountain to Roanoke, we took a quick stop at Dixie Cavern’s. It was a nice break from the heat to hang out in the “always 55° environment.” We had only one family to keep us company on our tour: a gentleman, his wife and his grandson. The gentleman was a retired professor from Virginia Tech and a paleontologist. This made the young tour guide nervous. It made our tour a little more interesting because anything the young guide didn’t know, the professor kindly filled in for us.

Roanoke, Va.

Upon arrival in Roanoke, we checked into a hotel. I do NOT recommend the Extended Stay America near the Roanoke Airport.


Mill Mountain Zoo, Roanoke, Va.

Roanoke holds a special place in my heart because my mother was born at Jefferson Hospital (no longer there) under the star.

We visited Mill Mountain Zoo, where we have been a few times before, but it’s been a while. When my mother was a little girl, her father rescued an injured Eagle from the Blueridge parkway and brought him to the zoo where he was cared for, and (as far as we know) where he lived out the rest of his days. His injury would be life threatening in the wild. My mother wanted me to ask about him, but he has apparently been gone a while, and no one had been there long enough to know.



I bought the boys snakes in the gift shop. We got one red one and one green one. Jacob got the green one and Elias got the red. We noticed, on the very long walk from the zoo entrance to the parking lot, that the red snake was missing an eyeball. I figured Elias was too young to care, so we kept going. About the time we got to the car Elias ( who was very sleepy) was having an absolute raging fit because he wanted Jake’s green snake. Jake was not willing to budge because he didn’t want one with a missing eye. Wearily, I gave in and asked, “will you stop crying if I go back and trade it for a green snake.” Elias stopped crying and sat still. I locked the two of them in with the A/c running so that I could sprint back. As I moved up the path gritting my teeth at the frustration I was feeling, I noticed a little blue card on the side of the path. LOL- I had dropped my credit card on the way to the car. Too funny, it was the only one I had to use for the whole trip. I giggled the rest of the way there and back. God works in mysterious ways. By the time I returned to the car, Elias was asleep.

http://www.mmzoo.org/- 50% off with your Boonshoft Pass

Adventure Trip 2008 Part 2

Stone Mountain State Park, N.C.

Our Second stop was at Stone Mountain in North Carolina. Many families lived on the mountain before it became a national park. One of those families was the Hutchinson family. Our family legend has it that the Stone Mountain Hutchinson’s were my grandfather’s aunt and uncle. This makes sense because my grandfather, David, grew up in Elkin, the town at the bottom of Stone Mountain. I call it legend because when I mentioned this to the curator of the mountain visitor’s center, she said that many people claim family linage to the Hutchinson’s. Still, I think Grandma’s story makes geographic sense. In mountain town’s of yesteryear, EVERYONE was related somehow J We never made it up to see the cabin where the Hutchinson’s lived, but it remains on the park property.


We planned on spending a few days camping on the mountain. Upon arrival we found our spot and began to set up house. Our new neighbors were kind, and provided us with a few items we had forgotten to bring. I have never been on a campsite with so few people before. I hadn’t considered the problems a weeknight (Sunday actually) camping trip might involve. There were only three other tent camping families on the mountain that night. On my previous camping trips (many of them were with my son’s boy scout troop) there were lots of people around. There was activity and lighting nearly all night long. On this Sunday night trip, the lights went out at 10 and everyone got quiet. Our immediate neighbors had hiked over to the other side of the hill to visit their aunt who was camping in a camper. It was pitch black and quiet except for all the bugs singing their songs. When we heard rustle after rustle in the trees around us, my nerves began to sizzle. I couldn’t imagine what animals were lurking just a few feet away, but the knowledge that we were relatively alone and hanging out in black bear country made the hair on my neck stand on end. I told myself that it was probably just deer.

Unfortunately, people feed the overabundant deer population that lives on that mountain, and they are not afraid of humans. My neighbor had told me a story about the night before when a deer chewed on their tent in the middle of the night, and startled them from their sleep. I tried to remember this and believe that it really was just deer. Still, I couldn’t calm myself, and deer are wild animals not to be messed with. I didn’t want them sniffing me out for food in my sleep. We decided that the van might be a better place to sleep. Sadly, it was also a hot and muggy place to sleep. Not enough airflow and we didn’t want to open the windows wide because it would let in the mosquitoes. I decided I was too wimpy to spend the night alone on a mountain with two kids. I threw the tent in the van and headed down the hill to find a deer/bear free hotel room. To my chagrin, the mountain road was gated and locked. I apparently had to call 911 to get off the mountain if I had an emergency, or wake the mountain camp watcher. I was too embarrassed to express my fear to a sleepy ranger, and had no real emergency, so we went back to the site to put our tent back up and tough it out.

By the time we returned to our campsite, our neighbor's were back from their visit. The gentleman helped me put my tent up and assured me that he and his family camped there all the time- the deer would not get us J He also had a campfire burning and said he planned on being up till at least 3am. After much tossing, I dozed off, and so did the kids. Not an hour later, I shot up from my light slumber to the sound of a loud and close howl I hadn’t before heard, and am not looking forward to hearing again. I overheard my neighbor ask his wife if she heard that coyote cry. That was all I could stand. I tripped out of my tent, and sought refuge in company. My neighbor said, “Oh don’t worry, he’s up on the mountain,” I thought to myself, “hmm, isn’t that where we are?” It was the middle of the night, the bugs had died down, and the temperature had dropped just enough to make it bearable to sleep in the van, so we did. J It was not a good night’s sleep for anyone.

At dawns first light we were stirring again. Despite the fact that all of us were cranky, we had driven all the way up there, so we were going to hike up the hill to see what there was to see. We got to the top of the waterfall area, but decided not to take the 400 stairs to the bottom where we could get in the water. It was just too far considering we would have to get back up those stairs, and hike another mile back to the car. We just looked at the top of the fall. It’s not a fall like you may be used to seeing. It’s the running of water over a huge rock. It was fenced, so that we couldn’t actually get close. Apparently it’s slippery on the rock and people have fallen to their death.


We did a drive by and saw the stone face that gives the mountain it’s name.

We finished our visit at Stone Mountain with some time playing in the stream that flows through the whole park. Jacob trekked through, watering himself up to his knees, while Elias remained on the shore content with wet feet and stones which he repeatedly attempted to skip like big brother and dad always do. Jacob managed to skip a rock as big around as a dinner plate- it was impressive.

http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/stmo/main.php

We were done with camping. Too much excitement, and not enough sleep. Our neighbors were leaving and there would only be us on that part of the mountain the following night (excluding possible late arrivals). We headed for Roanoke.

Adventure Trip July 2008

We began our trip with a visit to Grandma Brooks. She is 84 and still going relatively strong. I can’t help but think that it might have something to do with growing up on a farm and eating from her own back yard for most of her life. She is a great lady, and it is always fun to hear stories about her childhood and life. Grandpa passed away about 10 years ago, and everyone thought she might go soon after him, but she must really like us, cause her great grandkids get to hear the stories straight from her. She is also (still) trying to teach me to crochet.