Such a lucky girl

I got out of bed at 7 today...which wouldn't make it much different than any other day except it was 7 PM!!! I had a fever and felt bad so Lou took the little fellas all day long and let me try to sleep off the sick. I watched TV and napped at will, it was wonderful. I missed my boys but I could hear how much fun they were having in the living room (or the woo woom, as Squish calls it) I feel so very blessed to have a husband who steps up for me and is so wondeful with our boys.

Bear and his smash cake

It started out bad....

And then it got worse....

But we sure had fun.....

And ended up a great big mess!

Friday Nite Leftovers...the fish-sitter edition

-Our neighbors are going to Disneyworld for Spring Break and we are going to keep their fish. Squish is sure to be super excited about it, not sure how things will go when it's time to give the fish back. Might be a major fit

-We had a playdate with new friends today and Squish was so well behaved that I wanted to bronze him and turn him into my personal mother of the year trophy. Hoping that this is a new trend.

-We are going to look at houses (again) on Monday. I love looking at houses, I used to do it for fun when I was bored. Now I'M SICK OF IT! Since we've decided that I will stay home with the boys we've had to make a lot of sacrifices to survive on Lou's school teacher salary...but living in the ghetto isn't a sacrifice I care to make.

-Bear is walking more and more these days and Squish is really starting to settle into the fact that we won't be taking his little brother back to to where he came from any time soon so he's playing with him. He brought him a pirate hat yesterday morning to play pirates together and on Tuesday they played alone in Squishs' room for half an hour. No fighting, no screaming, no injuries of any kind...I loved it.

-Since they are getting along so well and things are getting easier and we can't afford a 4 bedroom house anywhere outside of  the barrio, I'm starting to rethink if we want to try for another. (don't you like how I am rethinking for WE)

-Squish just walked up to me holding himself (I'm the only one in this house who doesn't do that) and I asked him if he needs to pee. He said "I'm gonna pee on you! PSSSS"

-Maybe we will try for another baby...I could use a girl around here

-Who I'm I kidding....it would probably be twin boys

The obsession continues

This morning Squish woke up before me (what a surprise!) and I let him play in his room a bit until Bear woke up. When I went in to get Squish I found him sitting on the edge of his bed with his foot stuck down in a little red soccer cone. He said "Look Mommy! This is my peg leg." What an imagination!

That darn Jake

Disney channel has this new show Jake and the Neverland Pirates. It's great timing because Squish is really in a pirate phase and Bear enjoys the bright colors and occasional song they break into. I, on the other hand, am SICK OF IT! It's the only show he wants to watch anymore and we only have 5 episodes in the DVR (as opposed to the 56 episodes we have of backyardigans) so I've been watching it over and over (and over and over and over) When I wake up at night the theme song is in my head...which stinks cause I really don't know the words, so then I just lay there trying to remember them. But my boys are thrilled with it and it bought me time to check e-mail, catch up on friends blogs and write mine....so I guess I can't complain.

Catching up in bullets

What a weekend.. I never had any time to post but lots of cute things were said and done so I';m going to try to get it all in.

-On Thursday we were coming home from a playdate and I offered Squish a sucker. I gave him the old cliche "What do you say?" (obviously looking for please) what  got was "Bring it forth, Mommy."

-We got up Friday morning to head to Gaggi and Pops house for the weekend. Gaggi and I went to the big consignment sale and I got the summer wardrobe for both boys. Only spent $107...not a bad deal.

- I left my phone in the car and missed a very important phone call....for which I am feeling super guilty.

-When Squish woke up fro his nap he had a special surprise....his Wibef at Gaggi and Pops house (very out of the ordinary) He was super excited and they spent the rest of the day playing and acting as if the adults didn't exist.

- I did eventually put them to work pushing bubble mowers around the yard. Kids had so much fun with those things...it's too bad there isn't a safe way to actually make them cut the grass.

- We decided to cancel Bears birthday party....which I' also feeling super guilty about. But he will never really know the difference.

-Instead we just had one family over for a cookout Saturday night. Squish and their daughter are pre-engaged (us parents really don't care what they have to say about that) and we blew up the big castle bounce house for them and let them have a blast.

-Gaggi made bear a birthday cake, complete with his own super cute little smashcake. He looked it over and whined at me because he wanted it but has always been told no about cake before. I told him it was ok and that he could eat it....so he proceeded to lean over and stick his entire face in the cake. He really went to town on that thing. I can't believe he ever went to sleep! If I can figure out a way to get my camera to work I'll post some messy pictures

- On Sunday we were driving to church and we had to run a red light (we waited thru 3 cycles before we did it...don't judge us!) Lou said "we just broke the law on the way to church" and from the back seat Squish chimed in "AND NOW WE CAN"T GO!" Lou explained that Jesus would probably forgive us but Squish was adamant that we would try to get in but "Jesus will say NO!" and later he told me that Jesus is going to put us in his prison.

Gearing up....

For the Bears party on Saturday! We moved locations from Pops church to Gaggi and Pops house. The thought is that the weather will be beautiful so we can use the backyard and it will be much easier that taking everything up to the church.

I think I may have figured out the nap thing....if he decides that no morning nap is in order, then I will be getting nothing in the afternoon. If he takes a morning naps it's usually about half an hour and then he'll take a about a hour and a half to two hour nap. But if he skips that morning nap (as he did today) then I only get about a half an hour in the afternoon. So I'm thinking that he thinks it's the morning and he only has to put in 30 mins. I would think that he would be so tired from skipping the morning nap that he would take a nice long one in the afternoon....not so much.

The boys had a great play date yesterday. Two little boys just slightly older than mine came over. There were trucks and guns and swords and wrestling...it was great! The moms had a few moments of "feeling each other out" to see if the other was bothered by the rough housing and neither of us were (yay!). The first thing the older two boys did was to jump into the bounce house, start wrestling and tip the thing over! It' was everything a boys only play date should be.

Squish told me the other day that he is going to go to Wibefs house and "mooch (smooch) her and take her away. And it will make Miss Jen sad, so I will take Miss Jen to my house to see Wibef. But I will mooch Wibef and take her away." He sure loves her

I love this game

Squish just told Lou that he loves him more than Santa Clause loves to bring presents to little children. i love to watch his mind getting sharper and more original as he grows up.

I'm hoping that it isn't just a fluke but Bear took a 30 minute morning nap and then slept almost 2 hours yesterday afternoon. On monday he did the same and this morning he slept until 8:30! Maybe turning one has worn him out and he has decided to get a little more sleep. I sure hope so! (except he has started waking up a couple of times at night again...not sure I'm ready to go back to those days!)

Well....we have playdate friends coming over. I should probably get out of this sweatshirt that I've been wearing for days on end.

Beautiful weather for baseball

There are a few good things about spring rain.

1. Daddy comes home early
2. It stays dark in the rooms and the boys sleep better

3. I get to send Squish to school looking like this

Happy Birthday Little Bear!!

One year ago today Lou and I got up on a slightly misty morning and headed to the hospital. I was induced at 8am. I spent the remainder of the morning watching trashy entertainment gossip TV and beginning to have contractions. At roughly 3:00 I pushed for 6 minutes and met the newest man in my life. (When I tell the story of Squish's birth in a few months it will be much longer and with more drama...kind of the story of their lives as well as their births)

After we dealt with the colic and the reflux, Bear was a very enjoyable baby. Much like his older brother he decided early that sleep was for the weak and proceeded to never let his parents get any. (not sleeping through the night until 8 mos!)

Bear nursed, and I think as a result, has been much more attached to me that Squish ever was. He has been so snuggly and sweet since he was born and loves his mommy above all else....thought he's finally letting some others in our tight circle.

His Gaggi and Pop sent him a balloon bouquet. He had a blast with it! He got all tangled up in the balloons and crawled around the living room laughing.

I made chocolate chip scones for breakfast and the Bear had his first taste of chocolate. Much like his mother he LOVES it.We decorated the dining room for him, complete with a Happy Birthday banner and crepe paper. His brother was far more excited about it that he was. We also blew up the bounce house and let them play (Squish had more fun there too)

Then we went outside to play for a bit and came in for nice long naps. I held him while he slept and thought of how tiny he used to be and how his first year seems to have gone by so much faster than Squish's did. It makes my uterus hurt and long for another little baby. But I suppose that one would just grow up too.

Happy Happy Birthday my sweet baby boy. You have been the light of my life and have brought about changes and developments in me that I will forever be grateful to you for. I would not change a single thing about you.

I love you Little Bear....and will forever

Rain, Rain....stay forever!!!

During baseball season I root for the rain. It probably puts me in the category of "bad fan" or even maybe "bad coach's wife" but I don't care. Rain means that Lou comes straight home when the bell rings and we love that.  Squish was super excited when I told him that daddy wasn't going to play baseball after work today. He said "he can play baseball with me!" It was sweet and heartbreaking, in the way that only a mother's heart can be broken when she realizes just how much her son misses his daddy.

We had a lovely time at Jen and Wibef's again today. Jen made Bear his birthday shirt (not to be confused with his birthday suit, which may be the only thing cuter than the shirt). I have super "mom of a second child" guilt where Bear is concerned. His big brother barreled into the world and has been a scene/attention/toy/food/... stealer since he came out of the gate. Bear on the other hand flows through life with a little less intensity and as a result is sometimes in the enormous shadow that his brother casts. Add that to the fact that he is second, and therefore wears all his brothers old clothes, sleeps in his brothers old room, eats in his brothers old chair and plays with his brothers old toys. Plus the walls are still covered in single pictures of Squish, as we have not had the time, energy or money to take bear for the almost monthly photo sessions his brother had to endure. No baby book the second time around cause I didn't get one for a shower gift and never got around to buying one. MOM GUILT....if they served this drink at bars I'd be drunk all the time

OH! So back to the shirt...Bear has his very own first birthday shirt, with the number one in bear print fabric and his name embroidered on it and he will be wearing it at his party. And squish NEVER had a special birthday shirt....score one for team Bear.

no energy for paragraphs

- I love Jen. She leaves me comments like "what do you want to do this week? Want to come over and put your feet up for awhile?" Everyone should have a friend like that.

- It got a little porn-y here tonight. During a round of "I love you more than..." Lou told Squish that he loves him more than Jesse likes to ride bullseye....to which Squish replied "I love you more than Woody likes to ride Jesse"

-Then Lou accidentally pulled his boxers off with his baseball pants and gave the old folks next door an eye full. (It's a sexy image ladies...just try to get it out of your heads)

-Squish had been watching a lot of Diego lately. Yesterday I walked in and he said "Hola Mommy"

- I was thinking that the walking development might help Bear sleep a little more in the afternoons....not so much

-On a completely unrelated note, a complete stranger today asked me to "keep an eye" on her sleeping child in the walmart parking lot while she ran to get a cart. Who does that???

-Also I made the mistake of starting to read Dooce today. I may never be productive again

walking man!

Well, I'd say it's official...the Bear is walking. Not all the time yet, but about 30%. He seems to be fairly impressed with himself. It's still crazy to me how different he and his brother are. As soon as Squish figured out that those feet were good for something other than chew toys....he never sat down again. Bear still likes to crawl to something he really wants...much speedier that way.

Bear has also taken to beating the crap out of me on a regular basis. I used to have this sweet snugly baby who loved to cuddle and nurse. And I love nothing more than the nights that he is still that sweet baby who lets me play with his fingers as he falls asleep. But lately he has been using those sweet fingers to reach up and pinch the FIRE out of my face and neck. Seriously... I have never been pinched this hard before. And when he's not pinching he's slapping and punching. Some nights I just have to give up and put my wide away baby in his bed. I realize that this has to come sometime, but I'd like to see a peaceful end to his nursing to sleep, not one where I'm angry and frustrated and feel like I just went a few rounds with Mike Tyson.

I like to play this game with Squish where we tell each other "I love you more than..." On Friday he told me (all on his own) that he loves me more than Diego loves to save animals. I thought that was pretty creative, and a super huge deal....must mean he loves me most out of everyone else in the whole world. (I win, Daddy!)

That's really all I have for the whole weekend, as I have spent most of it in bed. Lou took over and let me lay around and be lazy all day Saturday and today, which was lovely. I wish he didn't have to go back to the five day week tomorrow

who lives like this?!?

My house is in a hand basket...and it is fast approaching it's destination. Lou is really the one who keeps this place orderly, if it were left up to me I would just leave the toys out all the time. I mean why let myself live in a grown up fantasy land where the living room actually belongs to me, it's just going to belong to them again at 7am. Lou really does the lion's share of cleaning and laundry around here and I am grateful for that. But since I'm all crippled, he's been picking up all the "mommy slack" when he's home so I can just lay in bed and moan about how bad it hurts. I usually try to at least have the place tidy when he gets home, but today (after hobbling around on my boot after two toddlers for hours) I just don't have it in me, all I want to do is lay on the couch with a large pain pill (which I won't take until he gets here) and a large bag of ice. So here is what my darling, darling husband will walk into tonight...

-A kitchen filled with dishes from the boys' breakfast, lunch and dinner plates along with all of my accompanying dishes.

-A stove covered with whatever I used to cook those meals

-A couch upon which is draped our kitchen rug (the one our dog wipes his feet on when he comes in)

-at least 3 or 4 randomly filled sippy cups randomly strewn about

- pieces of chewed up and discarded food (probably veggies) all about the place.

-One tennis shoe (mine) on the love seat

- A tub full of tub toys

-A wet bathroom floor

-Towels on the counter top and a shower curtain WIDE OPEN!!!

-The TV still on PBS

-The kitchen hand towels and fly swatters in the living room

-EVERY toy we own out of it's special place and partying on the floor like they are having some kind of Hasbro, Mattel, Disney orgy

- His wife, with her foot elevated above heart level and grinning ear to ear because she can finally take that beloved pain pill and collapse into bed.

WELCOME HOME HONEY!!! HOW WAS YOUR DAY? :)

Using his powers for evil

I try not to be one of those moms...you know, the ones who think their kid is some kind of super genius and obviously better than yours. But when it comes to mayhem, manipulation and general trouble making....my kid is some kind of super genius and obviously better than yours.

He can find more ways to work the system than any other kid I've ever met. The other day he figured out that even though he can't work the childproof lock on the cleaning products cabinet, he CAN unscrew the knob on the cabinet and get in anyway. We're still working on colors with him...orange he does not know, but unscrew the knob and render the baby lock useless.....he's got that covered.

Today Gaggi came to help out (which was awesome!) and he kept eating the chips off of her plate at lunch. She told him to stop because it's rude to eat off of other peoples plates without asking. So he picked up his plate and said "let's trade Gaggi" he then proceeded to put his plate right up in her face and wave it around in such a manner that she had no choice but to take his plate. As soon as she touched his plate he said "ok now you give me yours" I understand that this is problem solving, and quite an exceptional skill for a 2 year old....but it really just seems like manipulation to me!