the good, the bad, and the yucky.

GOOD:i always dread cleaning my bathroom because no matter how hard i scrubbed that tub, it was still gross.  but this time, i used the mr. clean magic eraser for the bathroom, and it worked MIRACLES.  we have those not-tile tubs... i guess they are plastic?  they are in a lot of newer town homes and apartments especially.  anyway, the bottom of the tub gets super dirty if you do things like wash your dog in it, or your husband likes to fish or play disc golf and get super dirty and then shower in it.  normal things, you know?  anyway, even though i would clean it, it never looked clean.  until my cleaning guru lindsey recommended these things.  i bet they would do something crazy awesome to gross tile too!  yay for mr. clean.  go get some!   


BAD: tag got the infamous "hand, foot, and mouth disease" this past week.  no idea how he got it since no other kids have it that we know of.  he's been quarantined, and it's been yucky.  he got a fever first, and then he stopped taking bottles, sippy cups, or eating.  that's how i knew something was up--quick! tag NEVER turns down food!  anyway, turns out he had the sores in his mouth.  i didn't even think to wrestle him to the ground to look in there?  thankfully it came on close to the weekend, so i went ahead and took him to the doctor (previous lesson learned-- never go into the weekend with an unexplained fever).  anyway, he was a pitiful thing all weekend because the doctor prescribed benadryl(hello sleep!).  today he's taken a turn for the better eating more and drinking more water (still hardly any milk).  except that tonight,(this is the YUCKY) while he was taking a bath, he pooped big time and it wasn't that kind you could just fish out.  i'll leave it at that.  anyway, good thing i have that mr. clean scrubber eh?  oh and did i mention a little bit after his second bath, he accidentally vomited on me?  ew!  

oh, but there is more GOOD:  i just found out that instant netflix does have a bunch of other thomas the train shows.  we've watched "hero of the rails" about a million times, so you can imagine my excitement.  perfect timing too, since tag has been pretty clingy, sickly, (but super cuddly) this weekend.  oh, and i noticed that "the wonder years" is on instant view too!  woo hoo!!!

and more BAD:  i started really poking around pintrest because a bunch of my cool facebook girl friends have "friended" me on pintrest.  i was like, "wait, i know i don't have anything cool on there so let me go see what they would want to follow me for??"  and then i started pinning.  and now, i'm in need of some genius to create an app to help me with my lack of discipline on the internet.  it's simple: blogs--pinterest--facebook.  i need someone to create a timer so that i can't spend more than 20 minutes on each a day.  it's fun, and it gets my creative juices flowing, but last night i dreamed that i actually did some projects from pinterest, and i woke up completely exhausted.  like i had done a marathon or something.  BOO!!!

but always still, more GOOD: my friend had her triplets boys on august 24th.  i couldn't even fathom it, but then i went to help her around the house and take her a meal the other day, and it kind of made me want multiples!?  (shhhh...don't tell b!) in the span of 3-4 hours i got to feed each baby and change several tiny baby diapers.  i forgot how precious tiny babies are!  things were a bit chaotic since she has a 2 and 4 year old also, but still... it was so amazing to see how God can grow 3 babies in a woman and then have her live to tell about it.   

it is furthermore encouraging to see how my dear friend has embraced this season, and how she's not complaining one bit!  i needed this reality check, fo sho!  with a second baby coming, i already see the ways in which i could easily fall into discontentment and complaining.  i like my house to be tidy(ish), and i don't like baby stuff everywhere.  b and i already struggle to get time together.  we have begun the heavy task of disciplining tag, and i can see that it will be a perfectly matched daily challenge between parents and child.  oh, and i'm having a girl! 

this is TERRIFYING.  and AWESOME.  but for real, it's heavy.  having a boy was a fun and an easy thing to accept--because who doesn't love being a mommy to a baby boy??. except for the fact that one day i'll likely be an MIL, but i have time to accept that, right?? 

anyway, knowing ahead of time that i'm to have a girl, just makes me anxious to be so much better than i am.  she's going to have me to look up to, you know?  i mean, i know that i can teach her how to throw a softball from center field to home plate, and how to bump/set/spike a volleyball. i can teach her how to dribble a basketball and how to shoot a free throw.  i can even teach her to snowboard!  basically, how to be a tom boy (that should keep the boys away for a little longer, right?) 

i can pass down all my favorite girlhood books like the anne of green gables series (what's left of them after tag's toilet adventures), and everything by jane austen, louisa may alcott, and stephanie meyer (JK on stephanie!!!!).  then when she's older, i can do girly things, too, like show her how to shape her eyebrows and pick out make up that doesn't look too made up.  BUT, the question is, can i teach her important things like self confidence, modesty, ambition, and can i adequately model to her how to love Jesus??  can i teach her selflessness and compassion?  can i show her what a loving wife and mother looks like?  can i teach her discipline!?  gosh, if there is one practical gift i want to give to all of my kids it's this darned thing i lack myself.  guess that means i better wrap it up.  these 20 minutes are up, and things are starting to get heavy! ;)    

Toddler Meal Time

Meal time is getting more and more interesting lately.  Tag is a great eater, but he loves to share his food with Durham.  It's cute in one second and super gross in the next.  And, it seems like Durham doesn't eat her food until after Tag has eaten in the morning, so she won't miss one scrumptious bite of waffle or nutri-grain bar. 

 Seriously, Tag can eat these small apples down to the core.  It takes him about 15 minutes, which is the perfect time to clean the kitchen or sweep the floor.  Usually when I take this away from him, I can see seeds.  It's crazy how much this kid loves apples.

 I have a rule though, that all snacks/foods are given in the chair.  This eliminates the mess moving on to my furniture (most of the time).  And, it reduces the amount of times I have wash off the apple.

I've become a really conscious tipper lately.  This is a typical restaurant table with Tag, and the floor usually looks about the same.  Sometimes I do remember a bib, but not always.  When the wait staff is nice to us the whole time (despite the awful mess they'll have to clean), I try to tip them really nicely.  Once we have a second baby eater, I'm not sure we'll be able to afford to eat out anymore!

Bye Bye Baby... Hello Toddler!

Yesterday we celebrated Tag's first birthday, and I've got a bad case of nostalgia. I've been looking at old pictures of Tag, and I'm fascinated at how much he's changed. Since January he has learned to eat solid foods (6 months), to crawl (7 months), to pull up and crawl up stairs(9 months), to walk (10 months), and now at his first birthday he eats most of his food on his own with his 8 hard earned teeth, he drinks water out of any sippy cup we give him, and he marches around the house like he owns the place getting into everything dangerous that is humanly possible (heavy books, electrical chords, laptops, animal foods, etc.). He's officially a TODDLER.

Tag plays well with Durham, and she tolerates him well. He likes to slap her and pull her tail, but Durham hardly seems phased. He enjoys Yo Gabba Gabba and his sign language DVD (but he doesn't use any sign language, HA!). He plays contently in his pack n play for about 10-20 minutes at a time. He loves books and the new favorite seems to be "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?" At church, he is still learning to play gently with others, and he's getting better every week. I'm not sure if this is every baby, or just Tag but he almost always has to be holding something in both hands. it's like it helps him balance or something. Even when he was crawling, he would almost skate around on the toys in his hands as he pushed along with his knees. I like to think he's going to be a good multi-tasker.

We're still putting Tag to bed at 8pm and he wakes up between 6-7 am. His naps are mostly still between 1.5-2 hours long, though every now and again he'll wake up at 45 minutes, and we'll try to rock him back to sleep. He's so tired most of the time, that he's glad when we put him in his crib. What a relief! I remember at 6 months thinking that day would never come! Most nights, he rolls right into his comfortable spot and goes on to sleep as he listens to his sound machine. He doesn't seem to have a favorite toy or stuffed animal, despite our best efforts to get him to like this cute sting ray in his crib. He learned to clap just this weekend, but his wave is still a bit sketchy.

We celebrated Tag's actual birthday as a family. B and I took the day off from work, and we went to the NC Zoo. It was terrific! Tag napped on the way down, enjoyed all of Africa, napped during most of North America and seemed to have a fun day all things considered. We didn't feel the infamous "earth quake", though. We got back just in time for his first haircut appointment (separate post about that), dinner and then an early bed time for all! This weekend we'll have a birthday party for Tag at my parents house. It's a mostly family affair, and we're excited to see everyone. I'm personally excited to eat birthday cake and see Tag eat it. I have this sneaky feeling he won't get much of a second nap in after all that sugar.

Here are a few pictures of the Birthday Boy himself:

Tag at his first well baby check up--5 days old.

Tag on his first birthday at the zoo!

Tag with Daddy.

Tag checking out the Gorillas

Tag and Mommy visiting the elephants

This has truly been a wonderful year. It's crazy how quickly we went from having a newborn to having a toddler, but we're thankful for every second of it. God has blessed us immensely with this little boy. He's perfectly and uniquely what God knew we needed. Tag challenges us daily but also brings us more earthly joy than either of us have ever known. I still can't decide if every mother feels as strongly as I do for my son, and this is just what loving a child is really like, or if I'm extra blessed with this special gift? Either way, I don't deserve him. But as long as God entrusts him to me, I will enjoy every single second!

Upon becoming a mother to this precious child, I have seen the world in such a new light. I feel like now I actually can concieve how God sacrificing his only son is the ultimate show of love to Christians. I can't imagine sacrificing my son for anyone. And, this just further proves to me my own depravity, God's pure goodness, and how much I need God.