Location: Outside Jim Oliver's Smokehouse on Monteagle Mountain
Time: Sunday afternoon
Me: Boogie, Gigi got to help you with your lessons to see how well you're doing, but she and PopPop don't know how well you are doing with ASL. Let's show them!
Boogie: Uh... OK
Me (signing): a
Boogie: a
Me: k
Boogie: k
Me: 11
Boogie: 11
Me: 55
Boogie: 55
Me: Dad
Boogie: Dad
Me: Girl
Boogie: Girl
Me: Mom
Boogie: Mom
Me: Pregnant
Boogie: Huh? I don't know that one.
Me (speaking): What do you think it is?
Boogie: Pregnany maybe?
Me: Right! Good job. Soooo... (signing again) Mom pregnant
Boogie: Mom pregnant
Me: Mom pregnant
Boogie (looking thoroughly confused): Mom Prgenant
Me (leaning in and whispering): Mom's pregnant!
Boogie: You're pregnant? (screaming) You're having a baby! I'm going to get those hundred babies I want! Yay!
So to make a short story even shorter: We are pregnant and very happy to be pregnant!
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
Sometimes I fail and win at once
I have a confession. I completely lost my patience today. Will was tired and rubbing his eyes. I kept trying to help him go to sleep. He just wouldn't sleep. There are days when he wants to be with Boogie so much that he will fight anything to be able to have even just one more minute with him. I thought that if I took Will to his room then I would be able to snuggle him or put him in his bed to rest. Apparently, out of sight is not out of mind! I, for the first time in his life, put him down to cry. After a few minutes I went back to rock him and cuddle him and help him reach the rest I could tell he needed. It worked. I felt a smile in my heart as I watched him begin to drift into sleep. In all the battle had lasted an hour. And then, in walked Boogie. Immediately Will was wide awake and clamoring for his big brother. Immediately all the time and work was for naught. And it frustrated me.
I sat Will with Boogie and told Boog that since he wouldn't just let me get Will to rest then Will could be his responsibility. I thought that Boog would experience Will's exhaustion and decide that maybe he doesn't have to come and "check" on me all the time. Instead Will was delighted to be with Boog and Boog was not at all put out! After a few minutes I reminded Boog that he still had more school work to do, more learning to accomplish. He was not phased in the least. Thirty seconds later I heard the very familiar sound of his voice. When I focused in I realized he was reading. He was reading to his baby brother, accomplishing both entertaining Will and practicing a skill.
The lesson I wanted to teach him failed miserably. I failed miserably at getting Will to sleep. And yet, my family won. My Boogie and my baby won. And that means I win too.
I sat Will with Boogie and told Boog that since he wouldn't just let me get Will to rest then Will could be his responsibility. I thought that Boog would experience Will's exhaustion and decide that maybe he doesn't have to come and "check" on me all the time. Instead Will was delighted to be with Boog and Boog was not at all put out! After a few minutes I reminded Boog that he still had more school work to do, more learning to accomplish. He was not phased in the least. Thirty seconds later I heard the very familiar sound of his voice. When I focused in I realized he was reading. He was reading to his baby brother, accomplishing both entertaining Will and practicing a skill.
The lesson I wanted to teach him failed miserably. I failed miserably at getting Will to sleep. And yet, my family won. My Boogie and my baby won. And that means I win too.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Rockin'
It is 2:15 am and I just finished putting Will back to bed. It was the second time he had gotten up tonight. I keep thinking that soon he will sleep through the night, but I also don't expect it. I know that by this time my other kids were sleeping through the night and I can't, for my life, remember how that happened. I have read all sorts of advice on how to get him to sleep longer but I just can't bring myself to attempt them.
The advice all seems to require me to allow him to cry it out some. Some recommend just letting him cry himself back to sleep, supposedly thereby making him teach himself to self soothe. Some recommend that I allow him to cry for a while so that gradually it will be longer between wake ups. I just can't do those. Every time I think maybe I will attempt it I think about my friend's little boy.
Two years ago a friend of mine adopted one of the world's sweetest children from the Ukraine. Children in orphanages in the Ukraine, and many other countries, don't get rocked to sleep. No one sings to them at night or reads them bedtime stories. There are no loving cuddles, tickles or kisses. Actually, those things are true all day long for those little angels. Consequently, when she first brought him home he would rock himself to sleep (or just to being calm) any time he was upset or when he needed to go to sleep. Can you imagine watching your child feel the need to curl up in a ball and rock themselves?
Now, Will gets lots of love. I hold him when he asks me and sometimes when he doesn't ask me too. I sing to him. I read to him. I play games and act a fool. He gets a million things that those children don't get. I don't for a minute think he will be as deprived as those children if, for one night, I let him "cry it out." I do, however, look at him and think that, at least for as long he is a baby, I don't want to give him even one reason to rock himself.
So, for now, I guess I will just keep getting up every few hours to be Will's personal record player and rocking chair with built in pillows.
The advice all seems to require me to allow him to cry it out some. Some recommend just letting him cry himself back to sleep, supposedly thereby making him teach himself to self soothe. Some recommend that I allow him to cry for a while so that gradually it will be longer between wake ups. I just can't do those. Every time I think maybe I will attempt it I think about my friend's little boy.
Two years ago a friend of mine adopted one of the world's sweetest children from the Ukraine. Children in orphanages in the Ukraine, and many other countries, don't get rocked to sleep. No one sings to them at night or reads them bedtime stories. There are no loving cuddles, tickles or kisses. Actually, those things are true all day long for those little angels. Consequently, when she first brought him home he would rock himself to sleep (or just to being calm) any time he was upset or when he needed to go to sleep. Can you imagine watching your child feel the need to curl up in a ball and rock themselves?
Now, Will gets lots of love. I hold him when he asks me and sometimes when he doesn't ask me too. I sing to him. I read to him. I play games and act a fool. He gets a million things that those children don't get. I don't for a minute think he will be as deprived as those children if, for one night, I let him "cry it out." I do, however, look at him and think that, at least for as long he is a baby, I don't want to give him even one reason to rock himself.
So, for now, I guess I will just keep getting up every few hours to be Will's personal record player and rocking chair with built in pillows.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Baker's Dozen
If you have come around my house at Christmastime then you know that I bake and bake and bake throughout the holiday season. This Christmas was no different. Actually, I even added a few things to my baking list. As I was baking I kept thinking, "My goodness. I am making a baker's dozen of types of things!" Little did I know how wrong I was. I actually made 19 different goodies. I made:
1. Crinkle Cookies
2. Dipped Pretzel Rods (decorated by Boog)
3. Candied Noodles
4. Dipped Ritz
5. Peanut Butter Cookies
6. Gingerbread Men
7. Toffee Cookies
8. Butterscotch and Chocolate Chip Cookies
9. Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies
10. Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
11. Chocolate Fudge
12. Peanut Butter Fudge
13. Dipped Crinkle Cookies
14. Peanut Brittle
15. Mint Chocolate Bark
16. Painted Sugar Cookies
17. Candy Cane Cookies
18. Party Mix
19. Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies
Over the course of this years baking I actually learned a few things. See, even an old dog can learn new tricks!
1. I ADORE parchment paper!
2. Publix parchment paper is better than name brand! The name brand would brown up quickly but the Publix parchment paper kept going and going!
3. You can use parchment paper when making peanut brittle. My whole life we have greased the pan so the peanut brittle would come out. On a whim I decided to try the parchment paper. Oh, how wonderfully it worked! And there wasn't any of the extra grease to deal with afterwards! Woot Woot!
4. Never try to just split an egg yolk for two different cookie paints. Just use two eggs, even if that means going to the store to buy another dozen!
5. Unbleached flour is wonderful. I always figured it would make my cookies darker than I like them to look. I was WRONG! Seriously, it made them beautiful and has the added benefit of being unbleached. I bought it by mistake because I was hurrying but I will always buy it in the future!
6. Nothing at all sticks to parchment paper. No seriously, all the things that I used to have to scrub forever just brushed off the parchment paper. It was glorious!
7. I always have to automatically make double batches of each cookie, otherwise there aren't any left from boys "testing" them.
8. Always use the Ulu to cut the fudge! Hubby says the fudge has never been easier to cut straight out of the fridge. He loved it, so I love it!
Overall, I used; 40 eggs,17 pounds of sugar, 12 pounds of flour, 10 bags of baking chips (6 different types!), 8 pounds of butter, 7 cans of milk, 6 boxes of cereal, 5 pounds of nuts, 4 jars of sprinkles, 3 bags of pretzels, 2 jars of cherries and an entire bottle of vanilla extract. That could almost be my own version of the 12 days of Christmas!
But Christmas is over now. The oven has gone back to cooking more dinners than desserts. My stove cooks more soups than candies now. At least for a while!
1. Crinkle Cookies
2. Dipped Pretzel Rods (decorated by Boog)
3. Candied Noodles
4. Dipped Ritz
5. Peanut Butter Cookies
6. Gingerbread Men
7. Toffee Cookies
8. Butterscotch and Chocolate Chip Cookies
9. Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies
10. Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
11. Chocolate Fudge
12. Peanut Butter Fudge
13. Dipped Crinkle Cookies
14. Peanut Brittle
15. Mint Chocolate Bark
16. Painted Sugar Cookies
17. Candy Cane Cookies
18. Party Mix
19. Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies
Over the course of this years baking I actually learned a few things. See, even an old dog can learn new tricks!
1. I ADORE parchment paper!
2. Publix parchment paper is better than name brand! The name brand would brown up quickly but the Publix parchment paper kept going and going!
3. You can use parchment paper when making peanut brittle. My whole life we have greased the pan so the peanut brittle would come out. On a whim I decided to try the parchment paper. Oh, how wonderfully it worked! And there wasn't any of the extra grease to deal with afterwards! Woot Woot!
4. Never try to just split an egg yolk for two different cookie paints. Just use two eggs, even if that means going to the store to buy another dozen!
5. Unbleached flour is wonderful. I always figured it would make my cookies darker than I like them to look. I was WRONG! Seriously, it made them beautiful and has the added benefit of being unbleached. I bought it by mistake because I was hurrying but I will always buy it in the future!
6. Nothing at all sticks to parchment paper. No seriously, all the things that I used to have to scrub forever just brushed off the parchment paper. It was glorious!
7. I always have to automatically make double batches of each cookie, otherwise there aren't any left from boys "testing" them.
8. Always use the Ulu to cut the fudge! Hubby says the fudge has never been easier to cut straight out of the fridge. He loved it, so I love it!
Overall, I used; 40 eggs,17 pounds of sugar, 12 pounds of flour, 10 bags of baking chips (6 different types!), 8 pounds of butter, 7 cans of milk, 6 boxes of cereal, 5 pounds of nuts, 4 jars of sprinkles, 3 bags of pretzels, 2 jars of cherries and an entire bottle of vanilla extract. That could almost be my own version of the 12 days of Christmas!
But Christmas is over now. The oven has gone back to cooking more dinners than desserts. My stove cooks more soups than candies now. At least for a while!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Will on Wheels
A month ago I came to the realization that my little boy had become mobile. He would roll and wiggle to get where he wanted to be. Two weeks ago I caught him in the crawl position looking ready to go. One week ago I smiled as I watched him crawl... backwards. Three days ago I knew for sure that from now on life is going to be Will on wheels! He is moving and crawling.
As with all things, Will does not like to show off his new found skills for people. When he first rolled over I was the only person he rolled in front of for almost a month! So, with crawling, he stays perfectly still most of the time that anyone is looking at him. Then, as soon as heads are turned, he zooms. Look up to gaze at a TV show, look down and discover the baby is on the other side of the room. Look up to talk to a rambunctious 6 year old, look down and discover the baby is back again.
He also has an amazing understanding of object permanence. If I put his giraffe in his car seat he will crawl to the car seat to grab the giraffe. If I put his pacifier in my pocket he will grab at my pockets for it. He is a nipple seeking missile no matter how many layers of clothing I wear. And now, he is crawling over to the cabinet where we store his toys, opening the doors, pulling out the bins and then playing up a storm! That, my friends, is one awesome little seven month old!
As with all things, Will does not like to show off his new found skills for people. When he first rolled over I was the only person he rolled in front of for almost a month! So, with crawling, he stays perfectly still most of the time that anyone is looking at him. Then, as soon as heads are turned, he zooms. Look up to gaze at a TV show, look down and discover the baby is on the other side of the room. Look up to talk to a rambunctious 6 year old, look down and discover the baby is back again.
He also has an amazing understanding of object permanence. If I put his giraffe in his car seat he will crawl to the car seat to grab the giraffe. If I put his pacifier in my pocket he will grab at my pockets for it. He is a nipple seeking missile no matter how many layers of clothing I wear. And now, he is crawling over to the cabinet where we store his toys, opening the doors, pulling out the bins and then playing up a storm! That, my friends, is one awesome little seven month old!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
The most beautiful girl in the world!
Today the most beautiful, amazing girl in the world turns 12 years old. My Kiddo is becoming less and less of a kiddo. She is an amazing girl who is quickly becoming an awesome lady. I am so excited to get to watch her keep growing and maturing. I love her so very much! Daughter, you astound me every moment we are together. Thank you for loving a quirky mom like me!
Sunday, November 6, 2011
A new level of tired
Will is 6 1/2 months old now. He still hasn't slept through the night. If you had asked me yesterday if he had slept through the night yet I would have said that yes, he had for the last two nights. I would have been wrong. For the last two days I have been exhausted but not understanding why since I thought Will was sleeping through the nights. Guess what! I am so tired that I couldn't remember waking up to feed him! Hubby would go and grab him when he woke up, wake me up and I would sit up to feed and cuddle him. I was actually waking up every 3 hours to feed him just like normal, but I am so tired that I didn't know it! Awesome, yes? Hahahahaha!
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