Christmas 2008

Christmas was busy, busy, busy. To me, the priorities at Christmas are celebrating in church on Christmas Eve the birth of our Savior, and spending time with family. Between Christmas and December 27, we visited Bill's mom, my entire immediate family, Bill's Dad and crew, and then all of my relatives in Illinois. We had fun, but it would have been more enjoyable if Sam had been feeling better. He wasn't running a temperature, but he was still coughing a bit, and he wasn't eating at all (NOT normal for Sam!). It's a good thing he's too young to realize how much it stinks to be sick on Christmas.

My boys thoroughly enjoyed their gifts, and were pretty good about remembering to say 'thank you'. TJ loves his Legos (thank you, Craigslist!). Sam loves his flashlight (thank you, Home Depot!) and his new Elmo's World DVDs. Nolan could care less about the presents, he was thrilled to rip wrapping paper and drool all over it.

Sam and his flashlight:

Christmas at the Baron's:

My 3 boys with Owen and Audrey:

Nolan and Audrey are good friends!

TJ, Clark, and Sam wait for Great-aunt Bobbie's Christmas train to go by:

All of the great-grandkids with my grandparents. I really treasure photos like these! Of course, I completely forgot to take one with my other grandparents. Maybe this weekend at Amanda's wedding!

Nolan's bath tub

A couple weeks ago, I figured it was time to move Nolan from the tub in the kitchen sink into a larger, inflatable tub that goes in the bathtub. I had moved TJ and Sam by the time they were six months old, and figured it was time for Nolan to make the move. He hadn't outgrown the sink tub, but he did seem bored with it.

It was a wise decision. He loves his new tub! The only problem is, he's so tiny he slides all over in it. I have to keep a hand on him at all times to prevent him from landing on his back. I tried to take a few pictures (let go, snap the picture, grab the baby again), but he wasn't very cooperative. He was too busy splashing to look up at Mommy.

Here's what I managed to get:
Just for kicks, here's a picture of Sam at 5 1/2 months....he's got a wee bit more chub on him than his little brother does!

Nolan's trip to the ER

I'd better blog about this before I forget. Nolan slept from 9:30 p.m. Monday night until 8:00 Tuesday morning. Fabulous, right? Well, that's too good to be true for him. A great night for him is a six-hour stretch. This was just too long. When he did wake up, he didn't really want to nurse, he seemed lethargic, and he wanted to go back to bed. His cough sounded terrible. I decided to see if the pediatrician could squeeze him in. They got him right in, and were not happy with what they saw. His pulse ox was only 89, and it didn't improve after a breathing treatment. His left ear was infected (of course, I had no idea!), and he was pretty limp for them too. So, they sent me to the emergency room. Great. If I had known they were going to do that, I could have gone straight to the ER and saved myself a co-pay!

I found a way to by-pass the agonizingly long wait at the ER. Walk in and tell them that your baby has a bad cough and his pulse ox is low. You are immediately taken back to a room, and within 15 minutes of your arrival, one nurse, one doctor, and two respiratory therapists are examining your son. They suctioned him out, which helped his breathing, ordered a chest x-ray (which came back clear) and then monitored him for several hours. For awhile, they had him on oxygen to help boost his numbers. I could tell the ER doc was on the fence. He said normally, he would send someone with Nolan's oxygen levels home. But with Nolan being so small (he was 14 pounds, 13 ounces with a wet diaper and a onesie on), and given the fact that he was premature, the doctor didn't want to take any unnecessary risks. Just before 4 p.m., he had two pediatric doctors come down and take a look at him. Nolan had bronchiolitis (also known as RSV), but the doctors decided he was at the peak of it and should be starting to improve in the next day or so. They put him on an antibiotic for his ear and told me what to look for should Nolan not improve.

I was a bad mommy, though. I had grabbed a muffin on my way to the doctor at 10 a.m. I knew we'd be at the ER for a minimum of 4 hours, and I knew that I wouldn't be able to leave Nolan unattended once we got there. So, we stopped at Arby's on the way to the hospital. I bought a sub sandwich and stuffed it in his diaper bag. Good thing--I didn't get home from the hospital until 5 p.m.

Nolan was starting to perk up on Christmas Eve and is now back to his old, smiley self. TJ never did get an ear infection and is also back to normal. Sam didn't get sick until the 22nd and is having a hard time getting over it. He's lost weight and is still coughing and out-of-sorts. I kept him home from church this morning. I kept Nolan home too, just to avoid exposing him to any unnecessary germs.

I'm ready for spring. I really am.

All I Want for Christmas...

Is 3 healthy boys! They all have bad coughs, and TJ and Nolan have been running fevers on and off. Now TJ is complaining of ear pain. I'm going to be watching that closely. He was at the ENT on Thursday and was fine then, but if he's getting an ear infection, we will be at the pediatrician's tomorrow. I don't want to risk him being miserable on Christmas.

What I wouldn't give for some fresh air! They've been cooped up for days! And another winter storm is coming tomorrow. Geez. This would DEFINITELY be the year to win another cruise. Anybody know of someone who's giving one away?

Quote of the day

From the front page of today's Grand Rapids Press:

"The only way we're not going to have a white Christmas is if we collide with the sun."
--meteorologist George Wetzel

This made me laugh. I'm sick of snow already and I needed that laugh!

Chastized

Nolan has reached the grabby stage. He is constantly grabbing at my face, and scratching me. It doesn't matter if his nails are long or short, they are still painful.

A few days ago, he reached up and somehow scratched the inside of my nose. Thankfully, it didn't bleed (that would have been one unattractive scab!), but it is painful, annoying, and taking a long time to heal. Plus, it keeps making me sneeze! Today, I was gently rubbing the sore area. Sam walks over and says quietly but firmly, "Mama, don't pick your nose".

Pillows

Can someone please tell me why I purchased pillows for TJ and Sam? During the day, they are often dragged around the house and used for the creation of what TJ calls "forts" (Mama calls them 'big messes I always get stuck cleaning up'.) At night, the pillows lay abandoned on their beds. TJ usually sleeps just below his pillow. Sam is worse. He starts out laying with his head on his pillow, because I put him there. 99% of the time, he falls asleep with his head at the foot of the bed.

Those poor, abused, lonely pillows. I wonder if they'll love them someday? I certainly couldn't do without mine! I need at least two!

Night Prowler

Monday night is grocery night. I leave for Meijer around 7:30 p.m. and Bill puts the boys in bed by 8:30. Last night, I was running late and didn't leave until 8:00. Then I arrived at Meijer and discovered my list and coupons were at home on the counter. I had to come all the back and get them. I gave the boys good-night kisses when I stopped in, then returned to Meijer again to shop. I love unnecessary trips when it's 14 degrees out.

Anyway, when I got home, Bill was watching Heroes. I joined him, since it's one of only 3 shows that I watch every week (along with The Office, and ER). At 10:00, I went down to the boys' room to lay out their clothes for today, and to flip off their closet light. They insist on having it on when we put them down, but are fine with it being turned off when I go to bed. I got to their room and noticed Sam's special blanket and Buddy (one of his old burp cloths he drags around) laying just inside the door. I thought it was very odd that Sam would have gone to sleep without them. He usually yells non-stop if something is amiss with his bedtime routine. As I pushed the door open, I bent down to pick up his things, but I had to stop because the door was stuck. I peeked around the back to see what was in the way, and it was SAM! I looked around the room and was quickly able to discern that he had gotten back up after Bill put him in bed. The ceiling fan was on full-blast, some toys had been pulled out of the closet, and Sam was sound asleep on top of several Matchbox Cars. I had to leave the room before I started laughing. I had Bill come and observe the disaster before I cleaned everything up, turned the fan OFF, and put Sam back in bed. Bill must have been in the basement the whole time I was shopping, or he would have heard Sam goofing off. I can't believe Sam fell asleep on his toys! And of course, TJ slept through the whole thing. He never lasts more than five minutes.

I just wish I had taken a picture.

Pandora Radio

Bill is full of ideas, most of which I do not understand (see his blog if you don't believe me). But every once in awhile, he comes up with something cool.

He just set up a Pandora radio station for me (www.pandora.com). My station is Josh Groban. It plays alot of Josh Groban (TJ was thrilled to hear them play 'Believe' from "The Polar Express"), but it also plays music it thinks is similar to Josh Groban. So far, I love it. (Bill has 3 stations set up for himself...Percy Faith, Pat Methany, and Fourplay. Can't say I'd listen to any of those!)

It's free, and Bill can't figure out why it's free. He says it must be new.

For the record, he also dressed the boys and made them cinnamon rolls this morning. Maybe he's getting sick or something.

Sam's afternoon snack

1 graham cracker square
1 small handful of peanuts
1 small handful of sunflower seeds

I am not kidding. He cries if I don't give him his peanuts and 'flower seeds'! I gave him some one night when he was bugging me for food while I made dinner. I thought they would gross him out and he'd leave me alone. Wrong!

My irresistable little man

Nolan started holding his arms up to me this week. Of course, he holds them up whenever I set him down, as he is of the opinion that he should be held constantly. Why, oh why, does he have to be so stinkin' cute (and so stinkin' clingy!)?

What a difference a year makes!

This past Sunday evening was the annual Christmas program at church. Last year, TJ had me totally mortified when he got up front and started moaning into the microphone. I had no one to blame but myself. I told him to stand still (he did), I told him to leave the hay alone (he did), I told him to keep his hands to himself (he did). Did it occur to me to talk about microphone etiquette? Nope, and I paid the price. The congregation was in stitches, but I desperately wanted the pew to swallow me up.

This year, TJ was Mr. Responsible. His class (the four-year-olds) was in charge of setting up the manger scene. TJ and his friend Drew carried the manger up. This involved TJ climbing the stairs backwards while holding the manger (I held my breath the whole time). After he set the manger down, he tripped, and then added another fake fall for effect, but kept moving toward the exit. He and his class all came back up together and sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus. At the end of the program, TJ was in a special choir that he volunteered for. They sang "All is Well" and "Silent Night". We had been listening to those two songs endlessly, trying to help TJ memorize them. Even Sam walks around the house, singing a few phrases from "All is Well". I hear that song in my sleep!

This was Sam's first year in the program. His class, the two-year-olds were up first. Sam was so excited to get up front that he slipped and smacked his head on the pew (we were in the front row). He started crying loudly. The congregation thought this was cute and laughed. The louder they laughed, the harder he cried. I was a little frustrated that they thought it was cute when he was hurt. He did pull himself together and got up on stage. He was just supposed to do the motions to "Away in a Manger" (he stood there and smiled) and then motions to a song called "Hush" (he puts his finger to his lips, but that's it). Toward the end of that song, he started wandering around the platform, smiling the whole time.

As usual, Cookie did a great job with the Christmas program, and the birthday party for Jesus afterwards. I wish I had half of her energy!

Eight months old!

Nolan hit the 8-month mark yesterday. This is really flying by! He's changed a lot in the past month. He's interacting so much more and we're starting to see more of his personality. I continue to be grateful every day for our little surprise.

Coming soon...to a Christmas card near you...

Once again, I am doing photo cards for our Christmas cards this year. Last year, it was a nightmare trying to get both TJ and Sam to look cute for the picture I took. This year, I decided to do three separate shots. I met a girl at a craft show who is designing a card for us, and will make it a 4x6 size (so I can print it at the regular price at Meijer instead of the photo card price).

This concept has gone extremely well so far. I was really happy with the pictures I got of the boys. Here they are, in their un-cropped versions:

The first Christmas party!

On Saturday, we had our first Christmas get-together. We (our family, Bill's mom, and Mandy & her crew) went down to Niles and spent the day with Bill's Uncle Bob, Aunt Joyce, and cousins Katherine, Jennifer and her husband, and Chris and his wife. I have no idea how long this had been planned, as I only learned about it six days earlier. Bill needs a palm pilot, a secretary, or he needs to start writing things on his hand. Thankfully, we had the day free!


The boys had a blast. Uncle Bob took TJ, Sam, and Owen out for a tractor ride. He made the mistake of showing TJ how to raise and lower the basket. Apparently, TJ slammed it into the ground a few times, making for a quick and uncomfortable stop. Sam was a bit hesitant about the tractor, so his ride was a bit shorter. Later, Dan and Kevin had TJ and Owen playing pool (with no sticks, since neither TJ or Owen is big enough to handle those).



Nolan (whose middle name is in honor of Uncle Bob) was extremely fascinated with his great-uncle. Whenever Uncle Bob was in the room, Nolan was staring at him. Maybe Nolan was trying to tell him he wanted a tractor ride too!





The boys got their annual gift of a new CAT vehicle. Audrey got a doll (finally, a child for Aunt Joyce to shop for!). Bill got a 300 ft measuring tape. He was thrilled with it. I think of it as another tool to get him in trouble. I got a green kitchen knife (it's pretty cool!) and my annual Precious Moments ornament.



It's too bad life is so busy...we always have so much fun with the Knapps! Maybe next year I can do less chasing and policing of children and have more time to sit and chat.

Write it down, before you forget

These boys of mine continue to make me laugh. Sam, in particular, comes up with some funny stuff, since he is just getting a grasp on this speaking-in-sentences concept.

A few Sam gems:

*Every morning, he greets me with an excited, "I waked up!"--like he can't believe his good fortune. He is such a morning person!

*On Saturday, he accompanied me to a Pampered Chef party at Aunt Sarah's house. Jared had made a trifle-type dessert that had a little Kahlua in it. I let Sam have some, but I told him, "Don't tell Daddy!" He must've repeated that phrase a dozen times. He got lots of laughs, but really had no idea what he was saying.

*Bill's dad and step-mom must have stock in Hallmark, because they love sending the boys various holiday cards. Today, the boys got cards for Thanksgiving. I gave Sam his and asked him if he wanted to open it. He got all excited, and said, "Money inside!" I couldn't stop laughing. What concept of money does he have? And when has he ever received any by mail? Well, there was no money inside, but he did like the turkery on the card. He's been carrying it around the house with him.

TJ has taken to repeating things his friends and classmates say, even if he doesn't understand them. Today, he insisted on bringing a toy for Coopersville Cares (He called it CooperCares). His class is doing a toy drive. I actually wasn't going to participate, since we already spent a small fortune filling a shoe box for Operation Christmas Child, and we'll be buying hats & mittens for Coopersville Cares to bring to the mitten tree at church. But he insisted he had to, since one of his friends had. He had gotten two "Memory" games for Christmas last year, so he proudly brought the unopened one to school today.

Yesterday, we had our first measurable snowfall. TJ was so excited. He came home from school and begged to go play in it. I let him, since I figured it would be melting today (it is). He was outside with the neighbor boys for an hour. He came in, dripping wet, proclaiming he needed "Hot Chwockwate". I also thought this was amusing, as he has never before had hot chocolate. However, if the neighbor boys were getting some from their mom, well then, he was too. I made it 'warm' chocolate and he decided it was good.

Then there's Nolan. He doesn't have any funny sayings yet, but he sure is fond of the letter "G". All morning long, I've heard "Geh. Geh. Geh."

He's trying so hard to sit up. For the most part, he does a nice job, but if he gets distracted, he does a face plant on the carpet. He seems awfully confused when that happens.

Here's a picture of him and Audrey at Grandma Ellen's on Sunday. Audrey is crawling, but she was content to stop and sit with Nolan for awhile:

TJ: Birthday recap

Yesterday, TJ had his five-year well-child visit. He weighs in at 41 pounds even, and is 41.5 inches tall. That's the 58th percentile for weight, and 21st percentile for height. It now makes sense that he is one of the shortest kids in his class!


Much to his delight, TJ did not need any shots. Due to the trauma he experienced during his August shots, I was actually going to postpone any further shots for awhile. I don't want him to be afraid of the doctor's office. However, that was unnecessary, as he is current on everything. Nolan had to get the other half of his flu shot, which offended him greatly, but he handled it well. Sam was just along for the ride.


TJ's birthday was everything he dreamed. For the third birthday in a row, he got lots of Thomas toys. Who says kids flit from one fad to another? He certainly hasn't! He also got several shirts, which he needed, some books, a couple DVDs, and a new bike. The bike, courtesy of Bill's dad and step-mom is beautiful. The unfortunate thing about having a fall birthday is that it will now sit in the garage and wait for those rare warm days for TJ to ride it.

Here are a few pictures. Everyone loved the cake, by the way!

Five Years Ago Today...

The "ER" episode where the helicopter falls on Dr. Romano aired. I had been looking forward to it all week, and was a tiny bit disappointed that I was going to miss it. Of course, no one can plan going into labor! However, TJ cooperated and arrived before 7:30 p.m. Bill, TJ, a nurse, and I all watched that "ER" episode. The nurse actually waited to move me to my post-partum room until the episode was over. It's a funny memory, and obviously one I will never forget.

So it's been five years now that our struggle to become parents ended. I've been so tremendously blessed since. TJ is such a character. He's definitely had his challenging moments, but he has also brought us immense joy. It's been so much fun to watch him grow now that he's in school. His behavior is improving...he understands boundaries more, and is learning to avoid children who might cause him to misbehave (he was always drawn TO them in the past). Sure, he still gets wound up when his cousins are around, but he's also a big help to me, and for the most part, a kind and loving big brother.

One quick funny story: The Fab Fives class must be learning about rhyming words. TJ, however, is not understanding the concept at all. Last night, he informed me that "smoke" and "water" rhyme. Uh, okay!

Birthday pictures will be up in a few days!

Happy Birthday, TJ!!

In case you were wondering...

I survived baking the cake. It's not frosted, and I should be in bed, but it's done.

I also have to add chocolate chips, sprinkles, and the two plastic rings I bought at the party store. This will be a strange looking cake.

But I am certain I'll have a happy boy in the morning, and that's what counts.

Twice in One Week!

I'm sure some of you know how much I hate to bake. It's funny, because both of my sisters, my brother Jared, and my mom really enjoy it. I find it tedious, messy, and pointless (hello! What are packaged Oreos for???). But today I sucked it up and made Peanut Butter Blossoms for TJ's birthday treat. I think most kids bring cupcakes, but too bad. I definitely don't have the patience for those.

So, here's my beef with today's cookies (which turned out FINE for all of you doubters!). I called Brianna to get the recipe. She told me one batch would make 4 dozen. I got 39. Mine appear to be the same size as hers, so where are the other 9 cookies? This is why I'd rather make a batch of lasagna. You make lasagna, you get one pan every time....not 3/4ths of a pan one time, and then a pan and a half the next. Baking is so silly.

I made the cookies today because I have to work tomorrow. And tomorrow night after church, I have to bake TJ's cake. Ugh. I love my little boy, and I also love chocolate cake, but baking twice in a week pushes me to my limits...

Kisses

It has taken Sam forever to figure out how to give kisses. Finally, about two weeks ago, he started giving kisses. He gives very nice kisses. Not at all wet or slobbery. He's funny about it though. He always gives me a kiss if I ask, but he acts as if it's a big imposition. :-)

TJ tends to only give kisses at bedtime, but he's a great hugger. Bill asks him for hugs several times a day, and TJ always stops what he is doing to give his dad his hug.

And I think Nolan tried to kiss me tonight. I was carrying him down the hall and I kissed him on the cheek. He turned and looked at me, then licked my chin. Slobber everywhere. But I really think he was trying to be affectionate. He's such a sweet little bug.

All 3 of them are!

Funny and profound

Sam has a cold (actually, all 3 boys do). It's been bothering his eyes, and they've been watering a lot. Yesterday he came to me and said, "Mommy! Eyes running!" I laughed and wiped his tears away. Then I thought, well who says the nose runs and the eyes water? Why can't it be the other way around? Maybe Sam is on to something here.

Nolan has decided that he will eat avocados and pears. So I've been giving him a little bit of pears in the morning and avocado in the evening. He much prefers the pears. Yesterday, he was so excited, he exhaled loudly as I put the spoon in his mouth. Yep. He blew pears all over me. He just gets so excited, he forgets what he is supposed to be doing.

TJ is anxiously awaiting the arrival of his 5th birthday. Every month, he makes a calendar at school and brings it home. This month we are crossing off the days and counting how many are left until his birthday. Only 9 to go! Being in the Fabulous Fives class means a good chunk of the class has fall birthdays. TJ is one of the very youngest. The kids have to be 5 by December 1st, so with a November 20 birthday, there are only two kids younger than TJ, and they all feel like they've been waiting FOREVER for their turn to have a birthday. For his birthday dessert, TJ has requested a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, sprinkles, and rings. I asked him what he meant, and he wants me to stick some plastic rings in it, just like someone in his class had. Uhhh...I don't even know where to buy those! I guess I should look! Any thoughts??

I also need to bake cookies or brownies for his treat for school. He's really pushing it...Mommy detests baking, and he needs two different items for the same day? Fun.

My favorite YouTube video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpcUxwpOQ_A

Watch the entire thing...even the ending is funny. If you don't at least smile, something is terribly wrong with you.

Beaker rocks!!!

The age of discovery

So, Sam is two. As most of you know, he is a very good-natured child, so I really can't call his age The Terrible Twos. At most, sometimes he doesn't think I'm serious and will laugh at me when I'm trying to get him to do something. It's really not too bad.

What is a bit frustrating is his curiosity. He's always into something. Right now, he's really obsessed with light switches. He carries around the little bathroom stool and turns all the lights on and off. Poor Nolan has had more than one nap disrupted by Sam flipping on the lights and turning the ceiling fan on.

Sam is also very pet-friendly. He has always loved Aria, our cat (who is still temporarily residing at my parent's house). He is learning to like Toby, my mom's puppy, although Toby's rambunctiousness can make Sam a bit nervous at times. No, Sam is a cat person. We have recently discovered there is a neighborhood cat who likes our house...a lot. I find her sleeping in the stroller in the garage, sunning herself on the porch, or peeking in the basement windows. Sam adores this cat and asks to go outside when he sees her.

On to Sam's other new talent: opening doors. He discovered on Tuesday that he could open the front door by himself. It wasn't terribly cold Tuesday night, but it was getting dark and was a little windy. Plus, the cat was on the porch. Sam opened the door, I closed it and explained he wasn't supposed to do that. I dead-bolted the door just to help him remember. 10-15 minutes later, I was in the kitchen when the cat walked past me! Yikes! Sam had let it in! Darn cat always makes lots of noise, until she's where she shouldn't be. I had no idea she was in the house.

A short while later, my sister and her fiance stopped by, and Sam calmly flipped the deadbolt and let them in. So much for that being a deterrent.

And the next morning, while I was at work, my mom discovered Sam had let the cat in again. My mom said I'm going to wind up with fleas in the house. Thanks. I feel much better now.

Grandma has been busy!

Sunday night we went to Bill's mom's house to celebrate her birthday and Bill's birthday. Even though it was HER birthday, she sent me back with 3 hats she knitted for the boys, a pair of jeans for Nolan, and an adorable sweater she knitted him. As soon as he gets a little bigger, he'll be wearing it everywhere!

Here are the boys wearing their hats. The hats keep their ears nice and warm, and they are so cute! Nolan is crying because he was hungry--not because of the hat. He doesn't mind the hat at all.

Sam really loves his hat. It was 70 degrees yesterday, but he insisted on wearing it when we brought TJ to school.

The experiment concludes

After completely shaving his goatee off, Bill then grew a full beard. Here he is, shortly before he shaved and returned to normalcy:

What did this experiment accomplish? I have no idea. I'm not sure if Bill knows either.

Seven months old!

Another month has flown by. Nolan is trying hard to sit on his own, but his not-too-tiny head continues to make balancing difficult. He is finally enjoying his exersaucer, but his big brothers have a hard time leaving him alone, so he's usually in tears within ten minutes.

We're taking a break from rice cereal, since it seemed to stop him up, and are trying avocado instead. He ate a little this morning and looked at me like I was crazy.

Even though he's hardly slept the past few nights, I still love my little monkey:

Halloween

Halloween was a beautiful day. I helped out at TJ's school party, and was pleasantly surprised by how well-behaved his class is. I was also surprised to see TJ write the word "Boo". He's getting smart right before my eyes!

TJ's bat costume was made by Grandma. He loves it. I really like the fact that he can still use the sweatpants and the sweatshirt, although the ears on the sweatshirt are a bit unusual! Sam wore TJ's old Winnie the Pooh costume. I hate spending lots of money on something they'll only wear for a day, so it was nice that the Pooh costume fit.


I took the older two trick-or-treating. It was warm enough that we didn't need coats! TJ only lasted about 45 minutes...he was so tired from the long week. Sam was a trooper and held my hand while we walked around Eric and Kristi's neighborhood. He was very polite and was very interested in other people's dogs and their outdoor lighting. Ha ha. Bill stayed home with a very grumpy Nolan. I think he's got a bug...he hasn't been feeling well, sleeping well, or acting himself the past few days.


TJ, the bat:


Sam as Pooh:

And Nolan, my little pumpkin (I took this picture today, as he was crying too hard on Halloween to get a decent picture):

And here's an adorable picture of my nieces: Suzy (Little House on the Prairie, anyone?) and Maggie the cow:

Bathtime

You know the saying, "No good deed goes unpunished"? Well, that sort of sums up my morning.

Clark, my nephew, is coming over tonight to play with TJ and Sam while his mom and dad host their House Church at their home. I am taking Nolan and going with Amanda to sample foods for her wedding reception. This leaves Bill home alone with TJ, Sam, and Clark. The boys play well together, and Bill wasn't the least bit concerned about it, but I still decided to do him a favor and give the boys their baths this morning, so he wouldn't have to do it tonight.

That small gesture turned into a disaster. My plan was to put TJ and Sam in the tub and let them have their play time while I gave Nolan his bath in his little tub. Then I'd finish washing up the older two and then would be free to get my own shower in. Well, I got the older two in the tub and they were playing happily while I stripped Nolan. Just as I emerged from his room (carrying a small naked baby), TJ starts shrieking that Sam pooped in the tub (which has never happened before). I hurried into the bathroom and discovered two small items in the water that didn't belong there. TJ is crouching (wet and naked) on the edge of the tub. Sam is standing in the tub sobbing hysterically. I laid Nolan down on the rug (he was smiling and kicking his naked legs), so I could scoop the 'items' out, drain the bath water, quickly wipe the tub out with a disinfecting wipe, then put fresh water in. During this process, TJ slips off the tub ledge and lands with a crash next to Nolan. Nolan isn't hurt, just terrified. So terrified, in fact, that he peed all over my leg, my pajamas, my slipper, and the bath rug (which I just washed last week). ARGH! I quickly finished filling the tub back up and coaxed TJ back into the water. Sam would have nothing to do with it. He refused to sit in the water. Why HE was so upset, I don't know...he started this whole mess! I tried to comfort him, but realized he was just going to have to stay upset. I needed to get Nolan bathed and dressed.

Sam didn't stop screaming until I finished bathing & dressing him. I wonder if he'll ever poop in the tub again. He seems to have been emotionally scarred by the experience. As for me, I'm sure I'll laugh about it someday, but for now, I'm just tired!

Family Portraits

I've been promising to post these for awhile, and I finally remembered to have Brianna scan them in for me. You'd think with all the random computer parts Bill has, there'd be a scanner in there somewhere, but we've never owned one.

Patti did a great job, as usual, and I'd be happy to pass along her contact info if anyone needs it. The biggest problems were an uncooperative TJ, Nolan got tired and fell asleep, and the sun was so bright on the Grand River, you couldn't tell what it was. We weren't able to use any of the shots with the river in the background.

The 3 boys (notice both TJ and Sam insisted on touching Nolan. He got sick of that mighty fast):

Family:

Funny, funny kids

TJ had some words of wisdom he shared with Bill today. He said, "Daddy, I know why you and Mama had kids. You got married, and then saw that you had a lot of plates and juice, and decided you needed kids. So you had 3 babies: TJ and Sam and Nolan". Bill laughed at that piece of logic.

TJ is discovering how to find the 'extras' on his DVDs. He has really latched onto a music video that is on the most recent release of "101 Dalmations". It's Selina Gomez (she's on some Disney TV show) singing a rocked-up version of "Cruella DeVil". Personally, I think it's cheesy, but TJ loves it. He drags out my old exercise trampoline and jumps to beat while he sings along. It's strange, but very funny to watch.

Sam is developing a taste for some unusual foods. A couple weeks ago he was bugging me while I made dinner. I gave him some sunflower seeds, figuring he'd be grossed out and would go away. Nope. He loves them. He then decided that if sunflower seeds were good, peanuts would be good. The only problem with that is "Peanut" is a nickname I've often called him over the years (not that it describes his appearance!). Yesterday, he walked in the kitchen and I said, "Hi Peanut!" And he said, "Yes, wan' peanuts, pwease!". Oh, boy. Looks like he needs a new nickname.

Sam processes his thoughts out loud. Last week, my mom was watching him and overheard him talking softly to himself. "Sam poops." (pause) "TJ poops." (pause) "Nolan poops." This went on as he named every family member he could think of (yes, even me). My mom didn't dare laugh, but he seemed quite amazed to realize we all have the same body function!

Nolan was having a little tantrum when I was holding him this afternoon, and he wound up hanging his head upside down on my lap. He decided he liked that, and stayed that way for awhile.

On a serious note, Sam's had a few tummy aches this week. I can't figure out what's bothering him. He had a bad one around 11:00 last night. I wound up giving him ibuprofen to help the cramps go away. I think I'll start giving him the papaya extracts at dinner again. They taste like papaya (so he's willing to eat them), but help with digestion. I took them when I was pregnant with Nolan and discovered they prevent heart burn.

Facebook

So I finally caved and created a Facebook account. I don't know how often I'll update it, as my parenting forum is much more important to me, as is this blog.

It was funny...I immediately saw people I hadn't seen in years. So far, I only asked Emily (who invited me to look at her Facebook page ages ago) and Brianna (my very strange sister) to be my friends. I figure family won't reject me. :-)

If you have a Facebook account, find me and make me your friend!!

Facial hair

Can someone explain to me why men change their facial hair? Bill shaved off his goatee Sunday morning. TJ was horrified and I was so shocked I forgot what I was saying (I was in the middle of a sentence when he walked out of the bathroom).

Now, he is growing a beard. Why, you ask? I really don't know.

I think tomorrow I will dye my hair blue, and Sunday I'll go for the bald look.

Men are weird.

Nolan's check-up

Nolan had his six-month check-up yesterday. He now weighs 13 pounds 7 oz (3rd percentile) and is 25.5 inches (10th percentile). His head is 44 cm which is the 50th percentile! Definitely explains why it's hard for him to practice sitting up!

I'll have to take a picture of Nolan sitting. If you balance him just right, he can do it, but his head slowly tips forward until his face is touching the floor. It's quite comical. He doesn't really appreciate it, though!

Here's a picture of him in his mei tei at the farm on Saturday:

Post Family Farm

On Saturday, we made our annual trip to Post Farm. It's tradition for us to go with Bill's sister, Mandy, her husband Dan, and their kiddos.



There is a lot for kids to do at the farm. There's a playground, a zip line, a straw maze, corn maze, pumpkin train, pony rides, hay rides, crafts, etc. One price covers everything except the pony rides and crafts. They also have fabulous freshly baked donuts for sale.



TJ was game to try almost anything. I was shocked when he did the zip line. He was definitely the smallest kid to try it. Initially, he was afraid to drop off at the end, but he managed. He's so short, either Bill or I had to boost him up to reach the handles!



Sam REALLY enjoyed feeding the goats. He was practically sticking his whole hand in their mouth, he was so eager to feed them. I'm surprised he didn't get bit. I had to scrub his hands off in the bathroom when he finished that.



Owen, my nephew, loved the straw maze. Only, his shoes kept popping off. He'd dig through the straw and hand them to Mandy for help.



Audrey was absolutely fascinated with the hay ride out to the pumpkin patch. She was so happy!



Nolan slept through most of it. He did wake up in time for a group picture, and he watched me enjoy a donut.


By the time we left, TJ was exhausted (he needs naps on the weekends to make up for his busy school days), so we had lots of whining and arguing. The rest of the trip was very enjoyable.