I'm OK

Well, I did end up getting that stomach bug.

I woke up on Monday morning at about 3 am and was sick all day.  Bill stayed home from work to watch the kids and I had to cancel all of my tutoring appointments for that evening.  Tuesday was kind of a blur.  I was super-low on energy, but feeling okay otherwise.  

The rest of the week was spent cleaning up the house, taking care of the kids and trying to squeeze in all of the appointments that I had canceled earlier in the week.  

The kids have had many highs and lows this week. At least a thousand a day.  So many, in fact, that I'm way too exhausted to write a post about them.

Now I have a cold, or maybe allergies.  I'm not sure.  I'm coughing and sneezing and I have a low, hoarse voice-- which I think is super-sexy, but I think my husband finds annoying.  

I hope to write more this week, but for now, here are some photos from the last two months. Many were meant for posts that went unwritten.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

My Bad

Yesterday evening, as I was weaving through the crowd at the ice arena, I was thinking of all the mistakes that I have made as a parent.  There was the time I brought Will to Great Adventure on a sunny, 95 degree day, while 8 months pregnant.  Then there was the time I fed Will an entire bottle of milk less than a half-hour after Mommy & Me swim class.  There was also the time I was halfway down our street when Will reminded me that I hadn't fastened his seat belt.   Also, the time when I was so frustrated with Will picking his nose that I told him that his brains were going to fall out.  (Each of those stories could have made for some interesting posts.)  However, as I was weaving through the crowd last night, one hand holding onto Will's and the other carrying a plastic bag full of his vomit, I was pretty much thinking that tonight was my biggest screw up to date. .

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A few hours earlier, I was rushing to make dinner.  Bill was upstairs, getting ready to coach his hockey game. Will and I had plans to take Liam to grandma's, so that we could go to the game, just the two of us.  This was the semi-final round for conference hockey and it was a pretty big deal.  In addition to making dinner, I had to get both kids ready, pack Liam's diaper bag, drop Liam off at grandma's and drive to the arena-- hopefully making it there early enough to get two seats.  Will was complaining, on-and-off, that his stomach was bothering him-- but he was still running around and playing as usual.  I had my back to him when he entered the kitchen, announced that he didn't feel so good and then threw up all over the floor and his sock-covered feet.  I drained the pasta, threw a roll of paper towels at the mess and then carried him upstairs to clean him up.  

It was decided that we weren't going to the game.  Then, as Bill and I were eating dinner, Will was running around and back to his old self-- telling us his belly felt better and that he wanted to go to the game.  And the truth of the matter is that I wanted to go to the game.  

So we went to the game.  We were there for 1 1/2 periods before Will got sick.  

I cleaned him up, carried him back to the car and we headed home.  I gave him a bath, put him in his pjs and introduced him to the 'puke bucket'.  We cuddled in my bed (photos above) until Will fell asleep-- but not before the bucket was put to good use a few more times.

Tonight, the good news is that Will is feeling 100% better and Bill won his game and is on to the finals.  Now, I'm just hoping that karma doesn't wack me with this stomach bug as a payback for dragging my poor, sick kid to the game.  

Playing... finally.

As we prepared to bring Liam home from the hospital, we weren't sure how a baby brother would affect Will.  Would he be jealous?  Would he regress?  Would he harm (intentionally or unintentionally) the baby?  We weren't sure.

As usual, all of that worrying was for nothing.  When we brought Liam home, only one thing changed.  After months of trying, Will was potty trained within two weeks.  (He didn't want to wear diapers like the baby.)  And that was it.

He didn't want to help bathe, change or feed Liam.  It would take tons of convincing for him to get close enough to pose with him in a picture.  He went on with things as usual, completely ignoring the new addition to our family.  No jealousy, no hostility, no interest-- whatsoever. 

Here it is, six months later, and the two have definitely warmed up to each other.  They compliment each other naturally-- Will gets to be the center of attention and Liam gets tons of entertainment.  As a matter of fact, Liam's fussiest time of day is when his big brother is napping.

The other day, after finishing breakfast, I went into the kitchen to clean up a little.  Liam and Will were still at the table.  I could overhear Will and I sensed that he was up to something.

"What are you doing to Liam?", I asked.

"Anything....", Will replied.

(He confuses the words 'anything' and 'nothing'.)

"We're just playing, mom."

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So... they're finally "playing"... well, sort of.

"Are we being punked?"

Visiting public places with an infant is always an adventure.  One thing that I've noticed, in particular, is how different people react to a baby.  

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Some people seem annoyed.  When Will was a baby, we were at a men's league hockey game.  I was on my own, as Bill was playing in the game.  I needed to keep getting up and down for various reasons-- going into the diaper bag, picking up a dropped toy, adjusting the baby seat.  A guy sitting behind me, yelled at me to sit down.  I was pretty proud of myself for turning around and telling the guy to go park his ass somewhere else.  The arena was practically deserted-- there were hundreds of empty seats all around and the tickets were without seat numbers.

Some people seem indifferent.  A few months ago, I was on a long line at Target.  Liam was hungry and screaming.  Will was tired and getting into all kinds of trouble.  We didn't have too many items and I was hoping someone might be nice enough to let us skip ahead in line.  No such luck.  Not even a sympathetic glance.

Some people seem delighted.  Before Peapod, when I would visit the grocery store, some people would take the time to smile and talk to the baby.  Sometimes this exchange would be quick and pleasant, but at other times it would get rather uncomfortable.  Some people-- complete strangers-- would hold the baby's hand or rub the baby's cheek.  Although I never said anything, this would always make me feel a little uneasy.  

However, none of these experiences quite prepared me for yesterday's encounter.

We had lunch at a local hibachi restaurant for Valentine's Day.  We arrived at around 2 pm and the restaurant was pretty empty.  We had purposely chosen a time after lunch, but before dinner.  After the food was prepared and while we were eating, one of the servers approached.  I was balancing Liam on my knee and she asked, in broken English, how old he was.  Then, without saying a word, she stretched out her arms to hold him.  I guess that I was completely caught off guard, because in retrospect, I don't think I would have handed him over.  But I did.  I handed my six month old to this complete stranger.  

He was smiling and content and she stood in front of me holding him.  It was a little awkward, but it seemed fine.  Then she turned her back to us and started walking away.  She started weaving in and out of the tables and heading towards the back of the restaurant.  I looked at Bill and the people dining across from us looked at me.   I let out a nervous laugh and asked Bill if he thought we were being 'punked'.  She kept going.  I was on the edge of my seat.  Should I get up?  Go get him?  They were now in the back of the restaurant and I wasn't sure if she was going to head through the doors into the kitchen.

Just then, she turned around and came back.  Flooded with relief, I grabbed the camera and took this picture.  As I snapped the photo, Bill said, "You're totally going to put this in your blog, right?"

Right.  

Now how about leaving a comment?  What would you have done?  

(You can just fill-in your name where the form says "Name/URL"... You don't need an account!)

Valentine's Day 2009

We made these hearts a few weeks ago, when we were decorating for Valentine's Day.  We all made our own, except for Liam, of course.  I finally realized that 'Liam' is 'mail' spelled backwards.  Should I have noticed that before?  

We started off this morning with a 'treasure hunt' of sorts.  We had bought Will a few gifts and we hid them in the upstairs bathtub.  We hid 10 clues around the house and he followed them, one-by-one, in order to find the 'treasure'.  The first one read... "This is the first of many clues.  Go to where you keep your shoes."  He ran to the coat closet and found another... "You don't need to run very far, the next clue lies in Liam's car."  Will had a great time-- we followed him around the house as he ran from room to room.  I was worried that 10 clues might be too much,  but he could have easily handled twice as many.  

After the treasure hunt, we had breakfast-- chocolate chip pancakes with bananas and scrambled eggs-- and then headed to swimming lessons.  When we arrived home, a package was waiting on the doorstep.  Bill had ordered a Woody doll (from Toy Story) through Ebay.  Although we hadn't planned on using it as a Valentine's gift, we decided to let Will open it.  He was thrilled and the two were inseparable throughout the day.

He even accompanied us to our lunch at a local hibachi restaurant.  The restaurant has a 'wishing fountain', where people can toss coins.  On the way out, I handed Will some change.  Before he threw the coins, Bill reminded him to make a wish.

"I love mom", he said, as he threw the coins into the water.

And that was my favorite Valentine's gift this year.

Be Mine, Valentine.

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Today, Will and I put together Valentines for his classmates.  His party is Friday and that puts us... 1, 2, 3... THREE days ahead of schedule.  This is a new record.

Last year, I was four months pregnant and working full-time.  I had picked up some Valentines on the day before the party, on my way home from work.  Minimal time and energy left me sitting at the dining room table, late that evening, putting them together on my own.  I had wanted Valentine-making to be a special memory for Will and I promised myself that this year would be different.

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We started working as soon as Liam went down for his morning nap.

Will was excited to pick out a special Valentine for each classmate.

His BF, Russell, got the first one.

Will insisted on signing his name and decorating the package just so.

If you haven't figured it out, there's a volcano in the bottom corner and lava everywhere.

And blue hearts... "because Russell is a boy".

After Russell's was finished, Will decided he didn't want to make any more Valentines.

Especially when he learned that he would be writing his name 14 more times.

He streamlined the design process in order to speed things up a bit.

The finished 15, although we might add more stickers tomorrow.

Notice that Natasha has plenty of stickers.

When I asked Will why, he replied, "Because I love her."

Simple and sweet.

Next on the agenda, cookies for the class party... still deciding whether to bake or buy.

Liam's Six Month Well Visit

Liam turned six months old on Friday.  I snapped this shot at his well visit this week.  For some reason, it reminds me of Austin Powers... "Oh, Behave!"

This is his favorite position, with his knees pulled into his chest.  He already has better abdominal muscles than his mommy.

He is 26 1/4 inches, 19 pounds and growing by the second.  We tried sweet potatoes and sweet peas for the first time this week and even with solids, he is still eating every three hours during the day.  Thankfully, he is sleeping from about 8:30 pm until 7:00 am.  Although he still hasn't rolled over completely yet, he is beginning to balance well enough to sit almost independently.

His huge appetite is matched only by his huge personality.  While sitting on my lap at the pediatrician's office, he made eye-contact with each person-- broadly smiling and soliciting their undivided attention.  

In addition to eating and flirting, his other main interest lies in his big brother, Will, who can make him laugh like no other.  Will, the consummate entertainer, never disappoints-- and like his baby brother,  also happens to thrive on undivided attention.    

Super Will Sunday

Will and Dad played football in the morning.

Will continued to run around at home.

Liam watched Will.

Daddy tried to watch the game.

"If the Cardinals get a touchdown, then the Steelers get a field goal, 

then the Cardinals get a safety, then we win $250 dollars... huh?"

Will's Super Bowl Feast:

3 Bagel Bites, 200 chips, a bowl of sour cream & onion dip and chocolate milk.

Legos kept Will busy for most of the game.

Thank you Legos.

We can never have enough Legos.

Halftime.

"For the next 12 minutes, we're going to bring the 

righteous power of the E Street Band into your home..."

Unfortunately, I stopped taking photos at halftime.  

I should have gotten one at 10:30 pm as we were putting Will to bed.  

He made it through the entire game and he was still smiling... 

despite the fact that his 'red team' lost.