Life Just Goes On

We are all pretty miserable with colds.  Some of the clothes we got for Devin turned out to be too small so Friday we went up to return them and eat out.  We were going to do it in that order but the same highway I got stuck on earlier in the week was backed up and so we flipped it.  Supper was nice.  Devin sat in a high chair for a while.  He looked so cute, but I didn't have the camera.  Allen even got to watch curling for a while.  Returning the stuff went pretty well.  I even managed to find some other stuff for a similar price to replace it - all on clearance.  But by the time I got back out to the van Devin had had it.  He was mad about being put back into the car seat he had just been taken out of.  He cried most of the way home.  Playing peek-a-boo and reciting the Dr. Seuss ABC book finally got him calmed down.

Liam woke up twice during the night and then woke up pretty early yesterday morning crying.  Later he cried again because he said his tummy hurt.  He was sick Thursday night - throwing up - and we thought we might keep him home Friday because of all the coughing.  But he was pretty much his usual self by mid-morning so he went to school.  He said he coughed a lot but made it through the day.

It almost feels like spring is coming with the warmer temperatures and melting snow but I don't really believe it.  It's supposed to get cold again soon, which I do believe.  I keep telling Liam that February is the shortest month of the year.  It sure doesn't feel that way!

Allen's a huge help with laundry and all the stuff.  Sometimes it's all about doing the next thing.  Again and again and again.

What a Crazy Day!

I had a doctor's appointment this morning.  I got going just barely in time, but I couldn't find my cell phone so I left without one.  I left Devin and Liam with Allen.  I was planning to take back some of the clothes we got for Devin after the appointment because they are too small.

As soon as I got on the highway I saw that traffic was backed up.  I heard on the radio that there had been a five car pile up with injuries.  I wasn't too worried.  I decided to pass the time by thinking about stuff I might write about on my new blog.  I found a pen and some paper and made notes.  An hour later I decided to go to the car behind me and ask to borrow a cell phone.  The problem was that when I called home the answering machine picked up and as soon as I started talking Liam picked up.  I tried to give him a message but he hung up quickly.  Shortly after that traffic started moving again.  But it stopped a little later.  I got off at  the next exit.  I wanted to try to take surface roads to the doctor's office but I have no sense of direction and I couldn't figure out how to get there.  So I went back to the highway and went home. 

When I got home I realized that Allen had just pulled in to the driveway behind me.  Turns out he had gone to the highway and driven for a while.  The message "I'm stuck on the highway" had made him think I might be stuck in a ditch somewhere needing help.  But he turned around in time to get back so that Liam could make it to school on time.  Just.  With Triscuits and water for lunch.

I managed eventually to call the doctor and reschedule.  But the baby was on who-knows-what schedule for napping and didn't sleep while Liam was at school.  When we got home from picking him up we went out to take a few pictures, shovel a little and try to take a walk.  Still too much snow for that really.

 The footprints the mail carrier's been making in the neighbor's yard.

 Liam walking in the footprints.

 We have some snow piles.

 Couldn't really fit the stroller on the sidewalk.

We have bushes under there.
















Did I mention that Devin got sick in the middle of Monday night and was sick all day Tuesday?  Throwing up, very fussy.  Yeah that happened, but he seems better now.  I still have a sore throat.  Also, we had no school Tuesday because of more snow.  So things have been feeling a little crazy in general.

Where Did the Weekend Go?

We went to the Chinese restaurant for supper yesterday to celebrate Valentine's day.  It was a little later than would have been ideal because we went shopping to get Devin some new clothes in the afternoon and needed a little break in between.

Devin doesn't fall asleep in his car seat when we're out much like he used to.  I guess he can take the stimulation now.  In fact, he'd like to go exploring.

 Trying for shots without the Flash.  This is the one where I had my eyes open.

 I took several of the boys.  Accidentally deleted the one I liked best while trying to figure out how to turn down the flash on the camera.  The guys got a little fed up with my clicking, but Liam thought the sparkly lights were cool.

 At least he didn't have to pose for this one.  Who needs a fun house when you have the counter at our favorite Chinese restaurant.

Look Mommy!  I'm skinny here!

The kids at church made this cross out of coiled magazine pages and wire.  They surprised everyone by presenting it at the end of the service today.

 This weekend was the winter festival in town.  In past years we've gone to some of the activities, but we weren't up for much this year.  Allen's still getting over his cold while Liam started complaining of a sore throat yesterday.  Still, he wanted to see the ice sculptures.  The camera ran out of batteries by the end of church, so we came back after lunch.

 It was pretty cold outside, but Liam was willing to pose beside every single sculpture. 

I wasn't sure what this one outside the hardware store was.  Liam said it was a snow blower.

 He wasn't clear on what Cupid was, but he liked the pose.

I thought this would be too badly back lit, but it turned out to be a nice effect.















After seeming to avoid Allen's cold all week I think I'm getting it now.  I SO need a weekend right now.  Oh wait.  It's over.  Time for the week.

No Idea If There's Something Else I Wanted to Say Right Now

Mom and Dad are in Asia right now.  It really doesn't faze Liam at all because for as long as he can remember they've made a trip like this every year.  And Skype connections are often better when they are there than when they are at "home."

Combined, though with some of the blogging I've been doing and some of what I've been reading lately (and maybe the fact that I've had a couple of long days and bad sleeping nights in a row) their leaving reminds me of some of the saddest and loneliest times in my life.  I really don't need to go there mentally or emotionally right now.  Some things change in life, but some don't.  It's possible to have lots more connections and support and control in my life but still never ever have enough.  In fact, I think that part of being a parent - maybe just part of being human - is never having enough.  The parent part I guess is that it's not just not enough for me, but for two or three other people in my life too.

Devin is asleep in his car seat right now.  He fell asleep on the way to drop Liam off at school and I didn't get him out because he tends to wake up and no matter how briefly he slept he's done napping for another couple of hours.  He missed his morning nap, so if he doesn't get some kind of decent sleep now I fear he'll be extra grouchy later.  I think his teeth are bothering him or something because he's been sleeping worse than usual for a few nights.  Oh, did I mention I should be taking him in for vaccines again about now.  Yippee.

I should go lay down and try to sleep while he is, but I'm not used to having him sleep somewhere else and it's hard for me to sleep when I figure I'll probably just get woken up at any moment.  Which actually is how all my sleeping is done lately.  I also almost  never get to do anything without shooting part of my attention off in some other direction, so staying awake has it's attractions.

I've been blogging madly on my other blog.  Maybe I'm trying to escape or maybe I need a creative outlet.  Whatever.  If you stumbled on this one by doing some Google search and find that it's just a string of "what's happening in my life right now" posts you might want to check out that one which is a string of "what I'm thinking about right now" and "what I think other people might be interested in" and "what occurred to me to write about today" posts.  This is why I didn't pursue a career in marketing.  Too honest.

Liam got all the valentines done and will have his class party this afternoon.  I expect him to come home loaded down with even more candy and junk food.  Some of what he brought home from the Christmas party is literally collecting dust on the jumbled up cluttered end of the kitchen table.  Funny how it seems like we are simultaneously becoming more conscious of the health implications of food and more prone to bury kids in mountains of candy for any holiday that comes around. 

So yeah.  I have a very hard time "staying on track" (as we're always trying to get Liam to do) when I'm not fighting to pay attention to two or three tasks at the same time.  No idea if there's something else I wanted to say right now.

Valentine's and Captions

Some pictures....

 Sometimes Devin does play on his play mat.  This was taken from a distance so as not to interrupt his flow.

 The Valentine's Day cards Liam will be taking to school tomorrow.  Got the idea from Pinterest.

 He's writing his classmate's names himself.  Crossing them out when he got done was his idea. 

I asked people to caption this on Facebook.  Responses:

• "Seriously!?!?! He's going to be home with me a again?" (Did I mention yesterday was another canceled school day?  14 so far.)
• " Wait, Shaun White didn't get a medal?"
• " I said prunes, not plums!"
• " How many more school closings do we need for people to do something about climate change?"
• " Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!"
• Whoa! Dad just got a double!!
• You expect me to do WHAT?
• John Mcenroe     

Finishing the Valentines has been a gradual process.  The ones for his classmates are done.  Now he needs to make one for his teacher.  He says she is his best friend.














I got not greater than usual sleep last night and am feeling kind of crazy and desperate at the moment.  Did I mention Allen has to work late?  I'd love to write more, but Devin keeps fussing at me.  I either need to feed him or try to get a shower.

When the Weather Gets You Down, Go to the Library

We woke up yesterday to even more snow.  And in the midst of my fretting about who we would shovel another five inches off the driveway and get ready in time for church I started to realize that Allen was sick.  Another cold.  Sigh.  I shoveled and we did not go to church.  Devin had woken before seven (blessedly unusual event) and I was possibly more tired and grouchy than usual.  He took naps OK, but was awake from his second by 2 in the afternoon.  Too early.  So I decided to take Liam to the Legopalooza at the library.  Which started at two.  So we had to hurry to make it to the second half.

 They had some books out showing different Lego creations.  Liam has gotten pretty good at following these types of directions (thanks to Lego sets he's gotten as gifts) so he set out to build a giraffe.  But the library has a fair number of blocks that are knock offs so we had to improvise quite a bit.  Still, I think the idea comes across.

 We didn't have much time for a second project, but Liam really wanted to do one.  I might have....helped a little.

 He made a second name tag while I, um put a few finishing touches on.  The library displays the finished products, which is just the kind of fame Liam craves.  He's getting really good at writing his name, right?

 He really didn't want to leave right away so although I was determined only to be away for about an hour we managed a little Kapla block building. 

Devin was OK hanging out with his dad while we were gone but by supper time he was completely worn out.  He snoozed on Allen's lap during the meal, then sacked out on the bed while I helped Liam get ready for bed.  Allen might have dozed a little too.

Seven Months Old!

Today Devin is seven months old.  He has two teeth and can almost sit up by himself.  He can roll from his front to his back but he doesn't do it very often.  He loves his big brother and his dad.  Also probably his mom although she's pretty much a given in his life.  He will go to people he doesn't know very well if I'm nearby and only for a short time before he starts to cry.  He will drill down on someone with his eyes, but when they return eye contact he sometimes ducks his head against my shoulder and grins.

He mostly eats prune baby food mixed with oat cereal.  Today he refused home smashed sweet potatoes mixed with cereal but scarfed down carrot baby food straight from the jar.  He chokes on anything that isn't very smooth but he likes to experiment with putting food like apple slices in his mouth.

He's doing lots of babbling and some high-pitched squeaking.  He loves to push his lips together and force air through them - usually accompanied by saliva that is propelled onto the nearest person - usually me.

He spends a lot of time in his bouncy seat as it's the spot where he's most likely to be content when not being held.  He also will play with (mostly chew on really) toys.  He does not particularly like to spend time on his play mat.  He does not like to be alone.  He thinks walls are fun to touch and is constantly on the lookout for "stuff" to grab.  He would like to know what it tastes like.  All of it.

Here I'm once again trying to get some photos with some depth (I'm starting to think that the camera is resisting my efforts).  Once again I took at least one too many pictures as far as the poor child is concerned.

Flame Throwers and Other Matters

I've been busy with my new blog, but I haven't forgotten this one.  Today on the way home from school Liam asked me if there is a machine for getting rid of ice.  Like a snow blower.  I told him that there isn't and he said that one should be invented.  I asked him how that would work.  His first idea was to attach a kind of blade to the bottom of a snow blower that could hit the ice and break it up.  I explained that this would very likely damage the surface under it.  And probably the blade also.  After disputing this and hearing further evidence from me Liam came up with a second idea, although he recognized from the beginning that this would be dangerous:  fire.  So after we quickly ruled out flame throwers Liam considered a second heat source:  food.  Then we discussed the difficulty of removing the food once it had melted the ice.

Devin has moved up to the next size of diapers.  He's quickly outgrowing almost his entire current wardrobe.  The larger, bulky diapers don't help the situation.

We had a snow day yesterday and a two hour delay today.  Tomorrow will be another delay.  This is all because of another blanket of snow that plopped down.

Just now:  Liam makes a loud noise.  Allen says, "That's too loud!"  Liam:  "No, that's not loud, this is loud..."  Allen:  "No! Don't!"

Games That are Milestones

Liam has reached a point where play dates involve playing WII for a significant portion of the time.  I guess I should be glad.  I read somewhere that kids (boys especially, I think) who were not familiar with the digital games their peers play are more vulnerable to bullying.  So I guess it's good that he knows about the stuff other boys his age are interested in.  I don't sound super convinced of that, do I?

It means, though, that our house may not be the most popular place for play dates.  We only have a Play Station 2 (gasp!) stashed in a back bedroom.  He has actually played this with one of his friends who does occasionally come over.  It's a novelty.  But I think the newer consoles are funner.  At the moment it works out well for him to go to other people's houses anyway because they usually don't have napping baby brothers.

Speaking of which, Devin woke up every hour last night.  A few times (possibly once) I got him back to sleep without nursing him.  The other times my efforts to do that were a waste of time and of sleep.  As were my efforts to get him sleeping more comfortably after nursing him.  He seemed to have an uncomfortable tummy, but he didn't pass much gas or poop much this morning.  Thankfully Allen took Devin for a while this morning and I got maybe an hour of sleep - which mostly helps because I was at least alone.

Devin has figure out how to play "peek-a-boo" himself, which is funny and fun.  He can pull a blanket down over his face.  Then he waits for someone to realize he's done this and pull it back.  Or sometimes the blanket gets situated so that he can just move his head back and forth to "hide."  Sometimes when I say, "Where's that baby?"  he starts giggling before I even move the sheet.

Liam's wearing plaid and cammo today.  I told him I thought it was too many combinations.  He said, "No it's not.  It's only two."

Year in Review

It's after three in the afternoon and the baby has had one ten minute nap all day.  Unless you count sleeping until after nine this morning as his first nap.  But even so, he's due.  Overdue.  Could be all the pooping that's keeping him awake.  My children seem to be extremely aware of their digestive systems.

Today I started a new blog as a place to spout off about stuff I'm thinking about.  Here's the link (don't click on it Grandma.  You might have trouble getting back).  Lots of other things I should have been doing but my tired brain swirls around with all these thoughts and I need to express them.  And here's the internet.  So I did it.

Liam cried today because he misses the old rocking chair we used to have in the living room.  He gets it from me.  He's also been complaining frequently that his stomach hurts.  Also from me.  I'm starting to think it could be related to stress and I hate to think that he's stressed at five years old.  But it seems to be the "normal" stresses like going to play at a friend's house and his life would also be stressful if things like that never happened.  I'm wondering about taking him to the doctor just to rule out anything that could be more dangerous or easily "fixed."

So January is over.  By a narrow margin I had the most blog hits of any month since it started.  Since I've been taking a lot of pictures lately I thought I'd share some that haven't made it onto the blog yet as a sort of review of the month.

 Not sure if I posted this one.  Worth repeating if I did.  The brothers are reunited after being separated for almost a week.

 Devin opening his present from Grandma and Grandad.

 The great prune projectile.

 Liam's sledding buddy.

 This I put on Facebook but it's slightly different than the one I put up on the blog.

 He does have a neck.  Also, he does sometimes sleep.

 Just another day in paradise.

 And some pictures on the bed.  I nurse Devin in bed so that there are fewer distractions.  Also if he falls asleep we're in the right place.  So we end up with lots of bed photo-ops.

 Devin was a little fussy.  Liam was trying to distract him.