Funny Face...

Isn't this the cutest skinny minny you've ever seen? So what if she's in the 3rd percentile for weight and at 9 months she weighs a hefty 15 and 1/2 lbs. She's a good girl, takes her punches from the boys and can hold her own.

Today, she climbed up on one of those storage boxes everyone uses for toys...we have one about 6-8 inches off the floor. She was so ticked because she couldn't get off and kept going in these little circles around the perimeter. It was funny in a very mean and un-momlike way. But, maybe she won't climb up again....

Although, she fell down our stairs and still climbs up them.....
:-)

Vacation

We are heading up 6 hours north for a family vaca w/the inlaws fishing. I am petrified as we are staying in a cottage on a lake. I have 2 very curious, ambitious, rambunctious boys. I am going to be a wreck with worry.

Think of me, pray for me, and I hopefully will have only happy posts to share when I get back....(aside from the constant stream of talk from Jack the entire way which may or may not make me want to strangle him)!!!

:-)

In the Back of a Police car....

Foreshadowing, anyone????

Rub A Dub Dub

4 Babies in a Tub (At Brooke's Birthday)......

Fun With Kids

Probably the best photo I've ever gotten of them all together...we were out for a walk.... Wait for it.....Wait for it....Wait for it.....


Yup, he's in the "Poopin' Squat"!

Maddie, prepare yourself for a mauling....

(tough love)
"Hey lady, stop with the DANG camera and tell these clowns to just leave me alone already!!!"

Tow-Nater

Nate is just everyone's favorite guy. Even when he sneaks onto John's work lap top and plinks every key off, hides them, and then wonders why he gets in trouble. Daddy had to creatively persuade himself to getting his computer fixed at work yesterday since half the keys didn't even work anymore. Daddy also had a hard time finding a photo online of what his computer should look like so that he could do some work at all. I just kept saying, "Someday dear, this will be funny....someday."

Yup, Mr. Mischief was out in full force yesterday.....
I love this photo. When he doesn't get his way, that lower lip comes out, he does a great pout, and oftentimes starts a full out wail. Here he's mad because I won't open the garage door so that he can ride his mini-motorcycle, which goes about the speed of molasses and reminds me of a little old lady riding a rascal scooter. Hilarious.

Why I love Chi-Town

In this city, you are not judged by your race, color, creed, career, sex, social standing, car you drive, etc. You are judged, rather, your worthiness as a human being and social circles are created by one thing only: Do you bear allegiance to the North Side, or (Gasp!) the South Side???

Suffice it to say, the RIGHT team won 2 out of the 3 crosstown classic games this weekend.

Rock on!

Sooo spooky

Its an Easter photo. I SWEAR my mother in law or someone has a picture of John's dad with him and his older sister and it's pretty darn close to this. To the point that if we switched out John and his dad, we wouldn't know who was who....EEEEEEEEERRRRRIIIIEEE!!!!

(John's Grandmother also used to say that John looked like her husband---A LOT). Funny how those genes get passed to the Alpha male in the family!!!

Why I already HATE tomorrow

Tomorrow is Jack's last day of school. He has successfully completed a year of "schooling'. Now what the hell do I do? It was the best 5 hours of my week!

Also, I'm sad. Very very sad. I just keep thinking...when he started school Maddie was literally
a few days old. She is my baby...my last, and now she is almost walking and talking.

Tomorrow, I will be given a book of the "scrapbooking" kind that Jack's teachers have been making all year. I will be reminded of his first day of school (the photos of which have been lost from the past hard drive), and I will be reminded of how much he has grown this year. I love it, and yet, I hate it. I love that he is so "grown up" and I hate knowing that I will never have this moment to treasure with him. I love that he is so "independent", and I hate knowing that he will be needing me less and less as each minute goes by.

I feel old.

I feel time slipping away.

I feel my babies leaving me......and it is SO hard.

The Best Mom's Day ever

This mother's day, I felt very blessed. I have 3 amazing kids, and a husband who really works so hard to make his family feel the love.

My Mom's day started actually on the Thursday beforehand. Jack's school had a special Mother's day Program where the kids sang, and it was the damn cutest thing I've ever seen. I think for posterity someone took a photo of all the mom's video taping their kids. Part of me hates to be the video taping mom, and the other part of me is the mom who can't let go and wants to hold these beautiful moments in time forever. Someday they will be cursing me and screeching at the top of their lungs how much they hate me, but for this moment I have my sweet sweet boy blowing kisses, taking bows, and saying "I love you Mom" on video.

On Sunday, John and the boys made breakfast. Scrambled eggs with nary an eggshell...it was delish (take THAT Rachel Ray). The highlight of my day was when John had Nate butter my toast. He did a great job, and then he ate it! It was hilarious, and really it made my day. Jack scooping "Candy Lobe' bits out of a halved melon with a kiddie spoon wasn't bad either.

I got presents too. Maddie gave me earrings and a necklace in her birthstone, which is this funky green gem called "peridot". I hope she liked it, someday it will all be hers (sorry future daughter's in law!!). Nate picked out flowers and I found out later that John had to discourage him from his initial choice of some half wilted, eaten looking dying wilting thing. Whatever...if it came from Nate, it would've been special! Jack made me a flower bottle (to hold my egg carton cutout flowers of course) and a cutout teapot with a poem that said:
"Happy mother's day,
I'll try to do my best each day...
Something something have some tea".

It was cute, the teachers attached a little teabag and I got teary eyed, until I realized they didn't give us anything to put in the tea. Yah, I can forgive you for breaking the window...let me drink my tea with a shot of VODKA in it, right???

To be fair though, I truly loved all my presents. Every one of them was a gift from the heart, and was thoughtful and loving. However, the best part of my day was when I took a 3 hr. nap. Really, in a mom's world, it doesn't get better than actually taking a break, and so I did.

I'll bet you're all jealous of me...not of anything I received that was tangible, but of the fact that I got to NAP!!! That 3 letter word is almost sacrilige in the world of "mom"!!!

I hope everyone's day was as blessed as mine!

Love to all the MAMACITAS!

When a Fart is just a Fart

On the way to the gym to take the boys swimming, an actual conversation:

"Mom, did you bring me extra underwear to put on at the gym?"

"No, why would I do that?"

"In case I poop my pants."

"Buddy, you haven't pooped your pants in a very long time. What makes you think you would do so now?"

"Well, I just farted."

"Oh. Well, sometimes you can fart without pooping."

At the gym, unloading the stroller out the back, Jack is standing up by the door ready to climb out.

"You're right mom! I just farted!"

"Oh....how are you so sure?"

"Well....I sticked my hand down my pants and there was nothing on my butt."

What we'd have done had there been something, I'm not so sure, but sometimes, a fart is just a fart.

This is what it looks like

When John is in Charge and I'm coming home from work and he needs a "break". Yah, all 3 kids are in front of the tv, probably watching Jaws, Major league or something else sporty and manly. The boys were probably eating peanuts too....

Whoa Black Betty... BAM A LAM!!!!

Saturday night I got to pretend for a few hours that I don't have 3 kids up my ass at all times. It was soooo great!

I went to a bachelorette party for the fiance of the guy who was the best man at our wedding. He actually stood up in our wedding with a good friend of mine who was best friends with this girl...yada yada yada, we have a love story wrought of fate.

Anywho, the evening started off relatively tame at my friend Kristin's condo in the city. We did shots, we at egg dip, we did more shots, we played "Pin the Bow tie on the Naked Guy", we filled water bottles with Captain and Coke, and we headed south to the Sox game. Everyone was required to wear a nametag throughout the entire evening, and the nametags changed periodically. Mine was "I Just Pumped". We had a "Black Betty Bam a lam", "Just call me Bob", and some others I won't mention. By the way....It was an awesome game,the sox totally lost 3-0.

After we closed The Cell, we went down to the players gate and met the very very very young Brian Anderson, also known as the no hitting centerfielder who pretty much sucks. He was cool though, he took a polaroid with our Bachelorette and snagged a pen from a ten year old pining for an autograph on his baseball in order to sing our polaroid. Drunk, Pretty Girls have no shame, and we can pretty much get what we want, even if we have to crush a 10 year olds' dream!!!

We headed back North to party in Wrigleyville, and by this time I had several new names: "Nobody puts me in a corner" being the most tame. One girl had to wear the "I made out with Jesus in Cancun" nametag, while others wore "Wall Splits", "Our God is An Awesome God", "I Eat", "Clap your hands for Jesus", "10 inches only" "Put Him in a Body Bag Johnny" (Props to those of you who know what movie THAT'S from), "Exit Only" (on their butt), and some others that are pretty risque to mention. It was fun watching people trying to figure out if we were some weird religious cult, or if we were just some weird chicks out for an evening.

I went home that night, and nothing sobers you more than a 75 minute drive home. Actually, I was drinking water at the game and on, so I was fine but just really tired. Last week left me wiped out, Saturday night semi-revived me, and now I feel like I'm still recuperating. It was totally worth it though.

BAM A LAM!

She will Survive!

After a lot of hoopla, it was deemed that Miss M's kidneys look fine, via ultrasound. They couldn't get a good look at her bladder since she peed, but whatever. I'm pretty sure that's fine also.

On to our next fun adventure, Doc has deemed that her iron levels are really low. Her serum levels were at 18, and they need to be between 37-170, so now she is on iron drops. Maybe this will help clear up any problems, but I almost wonder if since I'm chronically anemic, if I should just give her iron fortified formula instead of breastmilk? The pharmacist today was of no help, really. She just said "breast is best". Sure it is, when mother has enough nutrition to give. I'd hate to give up nursing totally just yet....

Such a dilemma. And all I want to do is what's best for her.

Any advice?