Weekending, Omaha Style

Call us crazy, but for no reason in particular, we loaded up the boys (and a car full of stuff) and headed down to Omaha for the weekend. Sure, we had friends we could visit, and I've been dying to get William to the Omaha Zoo, but nothing like a wedding or family function or long-time tradition or anything bringing us down there. Just a good old fashioned road trip--just for the heck of it. It was plenty of work, and one little seven-month-old who shall not be named was teething and pretty much a terror all weekend, but the trip was wonderful. And so good for my soul. Because it's things like this that I vowed not to give up just because it was "too hard" or "too much work" with kids.

We stayed with a good friend of mine from high school who has a son just a few months younger than William (and baby number two due in December!), and it was so much fun to watch the boys buddy up and play together almost immediately. Saturday morning we hit up an apple orchard with dwarf trees so the boys could reach most of the apples, and then we went to visit some a friend from college to waste away the afternoon watching college football (also what I needed--a Saturday of football, sangria, and delicious homemade "bar" food. So wonderful--and so busy trying to keep the boys occupied and out of trouble that I didn't get any pictures there. Fail). Sunday we spent a good part of the morning/afternoon at the famed Omaha Zoo, and I'm pretty sure we didn't even see half the exhibits. The place was seriously awesome--and definitely worth more visits down the road (especially since the elephants weren't on display!). I see the potential for this to become an annual trip--and I'm totally okay with that!

They may have been dwarf trees, but they certainly weren't dwarf apples!

Mesmerized Boy #1 in the aquarium

Mesmerized Boy #2 in the aquarium

Teething may have turned him in to a little bit of a monster, but at least he's still cute!

Pretty soon we're going to need a selfie stick to pull off this picture

My little monkey holding his bottle with his feet 

Swinging in the jungle

Loved watching this boy take in all the sights--sometimes you forget the joy a simple waterfall until you see it through your child's eyes

Garrett: Seven Months!

Height/Weight: Bigger. Longer. Faster. Stronger. (Or something like that. No official stats this month)

Wearing: Pretty much all 6-9 month clothing and size three diapers

Eating: Around the clock. He typically nurses three to four times a day (although these feedings are usually mediocre at best--hello, distractions everywhere), plus two meals of solids (usually lunch and dinner), and then is up at least twice a night to eat some more. We're trying to wean him off the night feedings though, because as you can clearly see from the picture, homeboy isn't exactly hurting for calories and Momma could use a little more sleep (and trust me--the fact that he is only up twice is already an improvement. See below). Solids started off a little rough, but once we realized he didn't like the rice cereal we were using (he might just be a picky child, this one), it's gone better. Most of the time.

Sleeping: What is this sleep thing you speak of and how do I get me some of it? Seriously though, I think we spent the majority of this month is some sort of sleep-deprived fog. Between adjusting to the introduction of solids, cutting his first tooth, and being right on the cusp of learning how to crawl, Garrett wasn't exactly interested in sleeping for a solid week or two. Darrell and I had nights where one of us was out of bed nearly every hour to tend to him in one way or another--after spending a solid thirty minutes getting him to sleep in the first place. Thankfully, things seem to be improving (although let's be honest--they couldn't have gotten much worse), so here's hoping that upswing continues. And we're starting to settle into a nap routine as well, which I think helps. He usually ends up piecing together 45 minutes worth of a nap between when he wakes up and noon (I say piecing together because most days it ends up happening in shifts as we are driving to one place or another in the morning--and yes, sometimes we take the "long" route to our destination to prolong his nap), and then he's started taking a longer nap in the afternoon (which usually overlaps partially with William's nap--yay!). Sometimes we have a hard time getting him all the way to bedtime without a third nap, but if he naps any time after 430 or so, he refuses to go to sleep at his normal bedtime (around eight). But even this little bit of consistency is a huge improvement from where we were, so I'll take it.

Likes: Moving. Moving. Moving. Cuddling rarely happens with this child because he loves to be in motion. And even though he's only recently mastered sitting up and army crawling, his new favorite thing is to be standing--and to have Mommy and Daddy help him walk around. Super great for our backs. From a seated position he can pull himself up some of the time--he works on this skill Every.Night. in the bathtub (insert sarcastic excitement here). He is also part-monkey (although technically aren't we all?); he loves using his feet to hold and play with toys when he is lying on his back. I've legitimately watched him pick up a toy using his feet--it's actually pretty impressive.

Dislikes: Not being able to move. It's a wonder we have issues with the whole "lying still and going to sleep" thing. He still gets pretty upset when Mommy leaves the room, although now that he can move around a little that has gotten better. And I'm pretty sure I've mentioned it before, but the stubbornness gene is strong in this one--he will scream at you if you take a toy away from him (regardless of whether or not he should have had the "toy" in the first place), and he pretty strongly resists being told what to do. If he decides he is ready to get up and have you walk him around the room, he'll let you know. And if you try to get him to sit back down before he is done, he will lock his knees and refuse to sit. Don't even get me started on some of the mealtime battles this has caused.

Firsts: Most of this stuff has been documented already, but for the sake of having it all in one place:
First time riding in the bike stroller with William (pushing only, not behind the bike)
First camping trip
First time making Mommy and Daddy have to use the gate
First tastes of solid food--rice cereal, sweet potato, avocado, peas, butternut squash, pears, yellow squash. Aside from disliking the first brand of rice cereal we used, he's pretty much eaten all of the foods pretty well. All except for yellow squash. No amount of trickery or Tom Foolery would get him to eat that.

Wordless Wednesday

Every Now and Then

Truth: Before I went to college I NEVER listened to country music. Kids from Sioux Falls like to think of themselves as being from the "big city", and country music was for, well, the country folk (aka everyone who didn't live in Sioux Falls). However, going to college in a town that is pretty much in the middle of a cornfield in Iowa and full of small-town Iowa kids, country music became a pretty big part of my life (and I'm not ashamed to admit it). In fact, one of my favorite artists--of any genre--is a country musician--Garth Brooks. I probably know more of his songs than any other artist (of course--he also has more songs than most other artists, but that's beside the point) and my country Pandora station cycles through his hits pretty frequently.

So it was no surprise the other day when his song "Every Now and Then" started playing. Lyrics aside, I've always liked this song for its melody and sound, but for some reason the lyrics really stood out to me this particular time. Long after the song ended I found myself singing these lyrics in my head:

I love my life and I'd never trade
Between what you and me had and the life I've made
She's here and she's real, but you were too
And every once in a while I think about you

 

 And while the song is clearly about a former flame, the message within these lyrics struck me as being really relevant to where I am in life right now. I love my boys to pieces and honestly can't imagine my life without them, but I'd be lying if I said there weren't days that I miss our life before kids. I miss the days when we did crazy things like drive to Maine for a weekend just because we wanted some (good) fresh lobster. I miss some of our financial freedom--I wouldn't give up being a stay-at-home-mom for anything, but tracking every penny of spending gets exhausting. And it means that lots (and lots!) of purchases get pushed off to "someday" instead of "now" (remember when Darrell randomly surprised me with my mixer?  Those days are long gone). And heck--right now especially--I really, really miss being able to sleep through the night. Sure, thanks to the wonderful "village" we have to help with our kids we get breaks once in a while, and we still prioritize having a date night at least once a month, but it isn't the same. Because once you have kids, you are forever changed. You are forever a parent. Even if you aren't having to be a parent in that very moment. Yes, we lost some freedom and spontaneity and carefreeness by becoming parents, but what we gained is so much more valuable. And when the day comes that our kids are grown and we're able to reclaim some of those freedoms, I know we'll end up looking back on our days with little ones and wishing for them back. So I'll let myself have those moments where I long for our pre-kid days, and I'll smile as I think about the memories, but then I'll wrap my boys in a great big bear hug and give thanks for all the blessings parenthood has brought into our lives. And I wouldn't trade them for anything.

Wordless Wednesday

 

So this picture is actually from July, but I completely forgot it was on my camera until I pulled it out over Labor Day. And I think it's super adorable, so of course I had to share it

Labor Day Camping 2015

For years, Darrell and I have been carrying on his family tradition of going camping Labor Day Weekend. We had to take last year off due to back-to-back weddings (Happy Anniversary Mike and Macy and Linda and Paul!), but we were ready to jump right back in the saddle this year, kids and all. But let me tell you something. Camping (in a tent, no less) with a 6-month old and a toddler is no walk in the park. In fact, here is a list of things it is NOT:

1. Relaxing
2. Calm
3. Easy
4. Stress-free
5. Relaxing (did I say that already?)

But you know what? Despite all of those things that it certainly isn't, it can actually be enjoyable. Six hours in to the trip I would have been hard pressed to say that, but as we found a groove, we actually managed to all have a good time. Admittedly, I don't think the boys would have noticed much of a difference if we had gone camping this weekend, gone to the lake, or just hung out at the house. And while those other options may have been more relaxing for Darrell and me, we realized that powering through and camping this weekend was an investment in the future. Because we want to make camping something the boys grow up with--and something they love. By starting them young--and busting our tails to make the weekend as carefree and enjoyable for them as possible--we hope to do just that. Plus it provides ample opportunity to take lots of adorable pictures :-)

Nap time in the great outdoors

How we found William the first morning. Apparently the whole sleeping bag/sleeping pad thing needs a little work

Morning story time in the tent

We all found a way to relax around the fire



Everyone loves a good s'more

Cutest little baby at the campground

Cutest little toddler at the camp ground

Family hike!

Our little trail blazer leading the way

My little hiking buddy

Nom nom nom!

Up at the top of the lookout tower

A Day in the Life (with a Toddler and Infant)

So this is actually from a week ago Friday, but hey, I consider one week a pretty decent turn around time (especially since I haven't shared any beach pictures yet and that was back in July. Whoops). Plus I actually remembered to write down pretty much everything that happened that day, so that's a definite win as well. Welcome to your peek into our crazy little life!

610: William tiptoes into our room, a solid thirty minutes before he usually gets up. I pull him into bed and convince him that he needs to lie back down for a little bit. Just as he gets settled, Garrett starts to stir. I have get up to give him his pacifier back (and hopefully buy a little more sleep out of him), but the downside is that now William is up for good.
620: After a quick change out of his wet pajamas, William plays with some toys while I steal a few minutes to check Facebook--heavy rains the night before caused some major flooding.

Photo borrowed from KSFY, taken by Dan Thrice

645: William decides he is ready for breakfast. On the menu this morning: yogurt, Cheerios, and grapes. I snag some breakfast at this time as well, my usual bowl of cereal.
705: Garrett stirs again, and this time there is no settling him back down. He is ready to start the day.
715: After sitting through a few stories with William, Garrett decides he is ready to eat.
730: I come out to find William reading to himself after I'm done nursing Garrett, so we sit down and read a few more stories together.

740: William decides he wants "Mommy downstairs, Garrett downstairs". I go down and turn the lights on for him, but then head back upstairs to get Garrett and myself dressed.
750: Garrett and I head downstairs to join William; I bring the fingernail clippers so I can cut back Garrett's claws while he is (mostly) distracted watching big brother.

820: First poop of the day award goes to Garrett. I take the dirty diaper upstairs to throw it away and use the opportunity to make my bed and finish getting ready. I'm back downstairs by 830, but it isn't soon enough because both boys are fussing about something or another by the time I get down there(Garrett had fallen onto his belly away from his toy, William, well, who knows. Sympathy cries maybe).
850: Garrett decides he is done with being awake. We rock for a few minutes, sing a few verses of "Jesus Loves Me", and down he goes. I take inventory of the diaper bag to make sure it is ready to go for the day and do some light cleaning.
900: William makes his way upstairs and catches me putting the grapes away from breakfast. Naturally he decides he is hungry and has to eat some RIGHT.NOW.
902: Garrett starts to fuss. Thankfully he settles back down once I give him his pacifier back (yes, I know, this kid is in dire need of some sleep training, but this Momma just isn't ready to do it yet).
905: William, aka My Bottomless Pit, asks for more grapes. For the sake of variety, I convince him to eat half an avocado (which--if you know William--doesn't take much convincing at all. If anything it was difficult to convince him to only eat half).
910: More stories and puzzles with William. We've been reading through a bunch of "new" stories from the library about camping to help him prepare for our camping trip Labor Day Weekend.
935: Garrett starts to fuss again, and nap time is officially over because William barrels down the hallway and into the nursery yelling "Garrett cry! Garrett cry!". He then insists on being put into the crib with him.

940: Start getting the boys ready to leave so we can make it to the library by 1000 for story time. I let William play with my phone (aka look at the photos and videos--his favorite thing to do) so we can get out the door more quickly (although it causes a tantrum when I make him give it back, but he is all ready to go at this point so I just pick him up and carry him out to the car). I grab an apple to eat in the car.
1000: Story time at the library. This story time is geared for babies under two, so Grandma comes to help keep William occupied so I can have some one-on-one time with Garrett (I decided he was too young for Kindermusik this fall--especially for the cost of it--so this is my alternative to Mommy and Garrett time).
1045: Leave the library and take the long way home because some one wants to drive over the train tracks. I also decide to drive past a garage sale in our neighborhood that I saw advertised earlier to see if it is worth stopping at. The extra driving causes Garrett to fall asleep in his car seat.
1100: William makes a beeline to his high chair for lunch almost as soon as we get home. On the menu--leftover carrots and beets from last night and leftover bacon chicken ranch pasta from a few days ago. Garrett stays asleep when I bring him into the house, so I move him to his room to let him keep napping (never wake a sleeping baby!).
1115: Lunch is over, and so begins the game of keeping William entertained until nap time. Puzzles, toys, books, the whole nine yards. Occasionally he gets engrossed in an activity and plays independently, so I clean up his lunch and do some other tidying while he is entertained. And, well, for the sake of honesty, I also catch up on Facebook and my email a little bit. Today I also start making a list of things we need to take to the lake when we head there over the weekend.
1215: Start getting William ready for his nap--clean diaper, ice water, stories, etc). On a scale of one to ten, the tantrum he throws during the process is only a four, so I consider that a success.
1230: William is down, Garrett is still sleeping(!!), so I get my lunch going--leftover pasta and a salad. Lunch of champions.

1250: Good thing I had all those years teaching to train me to eat lunch quickly. Garrett wakes up and is--not surprisingly--famished. Get him fed, then head to the kitchen to work on marinating the pork for dinner that night and make sangria for the lake tomorrow.

My little sous chef!

115: Poopy diaper number two for my littlest love. After changing, I intermittently play with him and work on getting a few things done around the house. Today that includes checking Craigslist for garage sales. Depending on when William gets up from his nap we may take advantage of the nice afternoon and head out to a few, or we may go tomorrow morning while Darrell has to go in to the office.
210: Playtime gets interrupted thanks to a spit up from Garrett that requires me to change my clothes.
215: I remember that I need to cook a sweet potato for Garrett for dinner, so I get that in the oven and then make sure I have snacks ready to go for the car in case we head out to garage sales.
220: I consider doing the dishes (honestly, I do), but then I hear William come out of his room. And he needs a diaper change. And then he wants some stories. And then Garrett starts to get fussy (but refuses to nap). And the dishes just don't get done.

245: Remedy for a fussy baby and bored toddler? Garage sales. Sure, it's work to get them both in the car and around the sales (thank goodness for my Ergo!), but it beats being cooped up in the house.
345: Get ready to head home from our last sale, and realize it's close to quitting time for Darrell. Since we aren't too far from his office, we decide to swing down there and pay him (and the ladies he works with) a visit.
430: We get home and the dinner chaos begins. I feed Garrett while Darrell gets started on our food. Thankfully, William goes downstairs on his own, so when I'm done nursing we take advantage of having four hands in the kitchen and get as much done as possible--because we know the time will be short-lived.
510: William comes back upstairs, and spends the rest of the time until dinner getting in our way or asking to eat. We take turns entertaining him as necessary. Garrett thankfully is able to entertain  himself for the most part.

530: Dinner is ready so we sit down and begin the dinnertime roulette. I alternately feed Garrett and myself (first night of sweet potatoes! Not very successful). Darrell cuts up William's food before eating himself, and has to stop every now and then to give William more food or blow on a hot bite.
545: Garrett decides he has had enough with the dinner table and all his toys, so down he goes for a nap. Shortly thereafter, William also decides he is all done, and insists that "Mommy done, Daddy done" so we can all go downstairs. Not surprisingly, we aren't done eating, so we explain that he needs to wait. Somewhat miraculously, he actually entertains himself until 610, which allows Darrell and I to have some leisurely adult conversation.
615: We're planning to Skype with Darrell's parents tonight, so we work together to get dinner put away quickly, although usually one of us cleans while the other plays with the boys.
620: Garrett wakes up from his nap.
630: William gets to use the iPad to call Grandmom and Granddad on Skype (and don't you dare help him press any of the buttons!), and we spend the rest of the evening in the basement talking with them (which is mostly just them watching the boys go crazy while we try to have a little bit of a conversation over the chaos).

720: Garrett insists on having a little more to eat before bedtime. Some nights we let him nurse to sleep, but 730 is a little early for that.
730: We say goodbye to Grandmom and Granddad and start getting the boys ready for bed. Since it has gotten a little late we skip bath time.
747: Bedtime is hit or miss with William lately, but by this time we have his pajamas on and are brushing his teeth (with minimal fussing), so it seems like the night might go okay. Fingers crossed!
801: Lights out for William after some more stories. Definitely a successful bedtime night. Garrett, however, is having nothing to do with going to sleep.
810: Give up trying to put Garrett to bed. Since he is fed and happy playing with Daddy, I head out for a short run.
845: I'm showered and both boys are in bed. Life is good. Although apparently the boys sensed that Daddy was in a vulnerable position while I was in the shower... William got up--which isn't terribly uncommon--right after I got in the shower. Unfortunately, Darrell was busy rocking Garrett trying to get him to sleep. So he put (an unhappy) Garrett down to tuck William back in. And of course William wanted Daddy to cuddle, but Daddy had to say no so he could get back to Garrett (who was still screaming)--but he promised to come back after Garrett was calmed down. So he went back to Garrett's room, calmed him down, then went and laid down with William. Garrett fussed for a bit but then went to sleep, and William did the same. And I got out of the shower and was none the wiser.
915: Basic nightly "chores" are done (dishes and general tidying up), so we each grab a drink (hello, Friday!) and relax. At least as much as parents relax. Darrell works on editing some (adorable!) pictures we took of Garrett earlier in the week, and I finish getting stuff put together for the lake, including baking a pan of chocolate chip bars.
1015: Cookie bars are done. Time to get ready for bed.
1025: Joke is on us. Lest you think today seemed like a piece of cake, Garrett wakes up and is in a mood (which--unfortunately--has been happening somewhat regularly). He doesn't want to nurse, doesn't want his pacifier, doesn't want to be held, doesn't want to lay down, doesn't want to rock, doesn't want to swing, doesn't want ANYTHING. After about ten minutes of scream crying, he starts to settle down. I rock with him for a little bit and then put him down. He immediately starts to scream again. By now it's 1045 and Darrell comes in to take over so I can finish getting ready for bed.
1100: Garrett is finally settled. We wrap up a few last things, check in on William (please tell me we aren't the only parents who still do this!), and by 1115 it's finally lights out.

Garrett wakes up around three and does the same screaming crying bit that he did earlier, and then wakes up again at five ready to actually nurse--and by seven both boys are up and ready to start the "routine" all over. It's exhausting (what I wouldn't give for more sleep or a nap almost every day!), but that's life with two kids. Most days we love it--although some days it's harder to find bright spots than others.

Wordless Wednesday