Interview

I saw this list of questions on a couple of other blogs, most recently my friend Michelle's. It sounded like fun to ask Laura now and then again in the next year or so.

What is something I always say to you? I don't know

What makes me happy? smiles

What makes me sad? crying

How do I make you laugh? giggle

What do you think I was like as a child? like me

How old am I? I don't know. How old are you?

How tall am I? I don't know. Middle size

What is myfavorite thing to do? eat snacks

What do I do when you are not around? take a nap

If I become famous what will it be for? huh?

What am I not really good at? I don't know

What am I really good at? walking

What is my job? taking care of the kids

What is my favorite food? spicy

What makes you proud of me? eating

What makes me proud of you? I don't know 

What do you and I do together? Play

How are we the same? we both have mouths and both noses.

How are we different? because we have different clothes

How do you know I love you? because you're my mama

What is one thing you wish you could change about me? eyes. How? by a marker

What do you wish you could do with me? play

still here

I'm still around, just preoccupied. here's a quick list of our updates:

Adam now has 2 teeth, can pull up to standing on his own, sits up on his own from his belly and still isn't sleeping. We've tried lots of things and I decided last night that "crying it out" isn't the right thing at the right time for this baby. It just wasn't working and his sleeping was getting even worse. We'll look for another solution. 

Laura's been more of a handful lately too. I think it is largely caused by lack of sleep because she wakes up every time Adam does. We don't have to go in her room, but I know it disturbs her sleep. But we've been spending a lot more time at home together, which is exactly where she likes it. She almost always opts to stay at home if given a choice. We aren't signed up for many classes and don't get out too much because the kids are currently taking turns with their naps. So far, its working out well for all of us. 

I have recently learned how to make cottage cheese at home. I've been wanting to learn for a while and I finally found a successful recipe. So now I make all of our bread, yogurt, cottage cheese, and applesauce. I'm sure I'll get tired of making it all from scratch someday, but for now, I'm enjoying myself.  Thinking about trying jelly or rhubarb wine next. 

Will add pictures again someday!

Aunt Rosemary's visit

Jim's Aunt Rosemary visited us last weekend. We had a great time and the kids really bonded with her.

Laura's first real "nightgown". I don't think she has taken it off since Aunt Rosemary gave it to her. Happy girl! 

Lilac bush

I get so excited when my lilac bush blooms every year. We were worried it might not happen this year, because everyone else's bloomed first. I think this is a different variety. It smells so good and so strongly that I can smell it when I pull in the driveway 20 feet away. I am so grateful to the previous owners for planting it!

First Foods

Laura's first food, 6 months

Adam's first food, 6 months

Just when you thought you would fall apart

It always seems to happen that you are pushed and pushed as far as you can go and you think you can't make it one more night, and then things improve. Thank you for sleeping better last night, Adam, and for taking at 2 1/2 hour nap this morning.

The special tooth...finally

This tooth is a special tooth. This tooth was hard earned in blood, sweat, and tears (ok, maybe no blood). This was a tylenol-resistant, baby orajel-resistant, nursing-resistant, carrier-resistant tooth. It resulted in less than 3 hours of sleep in a row for days, maybe weeks. It caused uncomfortably soiled diapers 10-15 times a day for 3 weeks. Often, before the pants went back on, a little squirt more would fill the new diaper and, holy cow, it better be changed again NOW or you'll hear about it for hours. It interrupted feeding positions and caused biting in some uncomfortable places while nursing (ahem). Laura helped earn this tooth by being patient with me when I was impatient with her. Her stories, snacks, naps, games, and songs were cut short by the wailing of her little brother struggling to cut this tooth. This tooth caused buckets and buckets of drool to fall and had Adam chewing on his hands, my hands, blankets, pacifiers, toys, books, and anything within reach. We all earned this tooth. This tooth is a special tooth.

Here's to hoping that this is Adam's only special tooth.

OK, so I actually wrote that on March 31st. I thought I saw a tooth just under the surface and wrote that one evening when I had the time. Well, I was obviously wrong. That special tooth didn't show up until May 18th. His teething symptoms definitely took a break, but came back with a vengeance two weeks ago. So along comes this little tooth (on the bottom right) and I was thinking that we were in the clear for a little while. Well, he certainly set me straight. Since getting the tooth, he's had fevers, been fussy, clingy and hardly slept at all. I know that all kids go through this and we will certainly survive. Surviving Laura's infancy definitely gave me perspective, but I'm running out of perspective. I wonder if these fevers and sleep problems are the next teeth coming in, or the current one getting bigger. We may never know. 

Lately, I've only been coherent enough to post pictures here, so maybe someday I'll get back to writing more. I do like using this as a little journal to go back and remember. But for now, I am going to sleep when I can get it.

Holz Farm

There is an historic farm tucked away into a neighborhood here in our suburb. They have events a few times a year, community garden plots and beautiful grounds to have a picnic on anytime in the summer. Last weekend, we went to their spring festival. The weather couldn't have been better, attitudes we great and we all had a blast. 

making a rope

watching the 1950s era tractor plow a field for wheat (or alfalfa?)

hay ride

milking a "cow"

chicks and rabbits

pony rides!

Gramma Ann's visit

My mom visited last week. It was really great, as always. We played, talked, and laughed a bunch. 

Gramma Ann's hat

Laura loved having a playmate!

Adam is so mushy. He just melts into you.

hot hot hot

It was 98 here yesterday and today. in minnesota. in may. crazy stuff. We've fired up the grill and enjoyed the heat wave. tomorrow it is supposed to cool down to 70. 

we love daddy!