47 months old

Let me tell you something about birthday parties in Pennsylvania - invites go out early.  Two weeks ago, we received an invite to a kid's party that falls on the Saturday before Britton's party, as in one week prior.  So I got my invites squared away (ordered from Etsy and printed them out at Kinkos) and put them in school cubbies last week.  For a party that's still 5 weeks away.

Even with planning her party and ordering presents, I still can't believe Britton is one month away from turning FOUR.  Last Saturday we were at the library and the librarian was trying to sign kids up for the summer reading club.  She asked me what grade Britton is in, and was floored when I told her Britton is only three years old!  She was certain Britton had at least finished kindergarten because, in her words, "she's so tall!"  That she is, librarian lady, that she is.  The hubs and I actually looked it up, and Britton is the average height and weight of an eight-year-old.  I can't make this stuff up!

Britton can write her alphabet, her first and last name, and her numbers.  I discovered that she could write numbers when we were playing hopscotch last Sunday and she proceeded to draw her own hopscotch game and fill it in with 1 through 10.  It is such an odd disconnected feeling when your child is learning things you didn't teach her.  

She's doing really well dealing with the addition of her brother, if only because we have made sure she gets plenty of time alone with me.  Every weekend I take her to her swim lessons and the library, and any errands I need to run, and every evening after dinner we take a walk together.  Then when we get home I do her bath and books and tucking in.  It's tiring, but it works!

Did I mention that she threw out her first swear word?  It was bound to come.  A couple of weeks ago when Memaw was visiting, Memaw was trying to get her dog Boomer to go outside and pee.  Well, Britton sees it and goes, "That damn dog!"  I think it's a safe assumption that she heard PawPaw say it about Boomer, because I've heard him say it myself.  But we got such a kick out of it (the hubs and I had to hide our laughter), even though we had to have to inevitable discussion about "adult words" and how there are just some words kids can't say.  

Likes:  meatballs (she'd have them every meal), granola bars, pink lemonade, vanilla milkshakes, swimming and the water park, cutting anything and everything with her scissors, painting with the hubs, helping out with gardening and cleaning, reading books, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood

Dislikes:  Sadie sitting on her, riding her bike (I don't know why)

hitting the (baby) bottle

I glanced over at Barrett, all tuckered out and finally napping, and noticed something.  Something to do with his right hand.  I remember making a hand motion like that, years ago, when drinking was for fun and not to forget a long day of raising children.  I'm kidding about that last part, of course.  Unless you have kids too, then you know I'm not!  And when can we hang out?

We've hit that cranky seven-weeks-old stretch, the calm before the eight-weeks-old stretch of diminished tummy troubles and longer sleeping stretches.  That feisty week where the baby has one goal - make you appreciate every moment he's not trying to derail your mental health.  The hubs and I are letting it ride and know that this too will pass.  Barrett's only really putting on the show in the evenings (they don't call it the "Witching Hour" for nothing) and I'm usually upstairs giving Britton her bath and reading stories, so I don't hear much of the carrying on.

But when I do get back downstairs, and the hubs is deaf in one ear from Barrett's wailing, I remember how I'll take Barrett's one-hour temper tantrum over some hours-long stories I've heard.  Then comes 9:00 pm, and he clams it up and gets back to sleeping.

water play day

We went to the water park today, just me and Britton.  Britton has waited patiently for two weeks to get to the water park, waiting out rain and the demands of the errand-filled weekends that can't be put off, so the water park gets pushed to the bottom of the list.  And I can't bring Barrett because he'll wilt like a flower after 20 minutes.  Nor did I want to, since one of the reasons we were going was so I could play with Britton independent of her brother.  Like "the old days."  So, we finally got it all worked out, chores completed and have-to's out of the way, and I took Britton.  

The complex is right across the street from our neighborhood, and has a huge pool, a splash area, and a big water slide.  Britton wanted to go on the water slide, but with a little convincing, I got her into the splash area.

Yes, this is summer.  Welcome, summer.  We've missed you terribly.

i see

Barrett has discovered the joy of sight beyond a mere few inches.  The other day as Britton and I were taking our after-dinner walk, she invented this game where she gets to run to the next mailbox while I wait where I'm at.  Then when she gets to the mailbox she turns to tell me "GO!" and I walk to the mailbox she's at, and we do it all again to the next mailbox.  Not overly-exciting news, I know.  But the thing is, I had her tell me what house numbers were on the next mailbox, which was at least 30 feet away.  And she could see them!

One of my biggest fears for my children is that they will inherit either my or the hubs' ridiculously bad eyesight. I thought my eyes were bad, since I can't see 15 centimeters (centimeters?  Maybe my eye doctor was Canadian?) in front of my face without corrective lenses.  The hubs' vision is worse.  If either of us lost both contacts, we wouldn't legally be allowed to drive.  Heck, we wouldn't legally be allowed to do much but walk along walls and run into things.

Luckily, both Britton and Barrett took this week to prove to me that their eyesight works.  

And isn't it awesome when a baby is so utterly fascinated by Pier1 curtains?  Forget your fancy Baby Einstein high-falutin toys - just get some bright curtains to entertain a baby for ten minutes at a stretch.   

The intense curtain concentration wore Barrett out.  Yes, his diaper is hanging out.  Because his onesies are too short for his off-the-percentage-chart height/length.  Is it height if they can't even stand yet?  Regardless, the looking was too much for him!

barrett: six weeks old

I've been holding my breath for six weeks to get here - this magical moment in time when babies are supposed to sleep longer, be more predictable, and start working out those gas issues that cause crying and pain and sleeplessness and work.  Ummmm, not so much.  At least around here.  Barrett is still having random gas issues, like last night when he woke up every two hours like he had an alarm set.  And maybe it's because it isn't all the time, but when he does get off kilter and out of whack, it throws me for such a loop that I become a sobbing mess in the fetal position on the floor.  And then I take a shower to make it all better.  And read baby books to get some semblance of control.

You know what I've learned?  I have no control over this.  None.  He's six weeks old.  No reputable book or website will tell me that I can put Barrett on a schedule and expect miracles.  UGH.  Usually he's pretty good about the daytime - eating and napping on a two-hour schedule.  And at night I've had some luck with his going to bed at 9:00 pm and sleeping through to 1:30 am.  But if he goes to bed at 7:30 pm or 8:00 pm, then he gets up for a feeding at 11:30 pm, but still wants to get up at 1:30 am too!  And then he's up at 3:30 am and 5:30 am or 6:00 am.  If I change his diaper in the middle of the night he thinks it's time to wake up and won't go back to sleep, so he stays in a soggy diaper all night.

Memaw and her sister Aunt Judy stopped in yesterday to visit and see the kids, and this was the first time Barrett was in the swing and noticed the mirror and mobile above him.  He's actively becoming more aware, and if memory serves with Britton (it may not - I was seriously sleep-deprived with that one!), the jump in development means growing pains for everyone else.

I'm hoping that over the next two weeks, Barrett's system gets in order and he finally settles down into a manageable routine.  And when that finally happens, I can get back to sleeping in my own bed (seriously - not doing stairs all night if he wakes up 4 times) and get some good sleep.  Ahhhh, sleep......my old friend.......I miss you........

in focus

So, I checked into newborn photography around these parts, something that wouldn't cost an arm and a leg.  Because, honestly, I've taken at least 200 photos of Barrett myself, and I didn't want to spend a ton of money on photos that really wouldn't look like him in another couple of months.  I couldn't find any photographers that didn't charge a minimum order fee of $250, and I get it I really do - why go through all the work of a session for me to order only $50 of prints?  But when we're talking about a total bill that would rival my car payment, I'm no longer interested.

And being the cheapskate that I am, I decided to pull out my fancy camera and stage some portraits.  I figured that if I could get at least one decent shot, I'd be worth it.  I ended up not getting to spend as much time taking photos as I'd have liked, since yesterday's photo shoot window of opportunity coincided with Sadie dog's vet appointment for a herniated disc.  Here's my attempt to be my own photographer...

Look at that pouty lip...

is it summer yet?

I've either been indoors feeding/rocking/burping Barrett, or I'm asleep.  Seriously, the only time I go outside is to get in my car to pick up Britton from school or take her to swimming lessons or the library.  Every evening Britton and I have been going on a walk, and I count that as my vitamin D intake for the day!  Granted, the weather here has been spotty for weeks now - rainy, then sunny (within a ten minute window) and some days just downright cold.  

So when the window of sunlight opened yesterday, we pulled out the spray beach ball we picked up when Jessica was in town.  Memaw held the baby, and Britton and I got into the spray.  Her in a swimsuit, me in my clothes.  And damn if it wasn't cold as ice!  But she was having fun, I got to be "cool spontaneous mom" even if only for five minutes, and I honestly count that five minutes as the first shower I've had this week!