Favorite Photo Friday

I love every part of this photo: the sibling love, the fun faces they are both making, Jeep's dirty summer feet and the random flashlight!

Two Inches of Independence

Jeeper and I had a quick date yesterday afternoon -- right before his dad and I went on a date for our ninth wedding anniversary. My special time with Jeep was simply a run to our local Fred Meyer for a step stool for our bathroom. We already have a step stool in the bathroom, but one of those little white IKEA ones. When Jeeper stands on it, if he stretches really hard, he can sometimes turn on the hot water. Which means, many times a day, he needs a grown up to help him wash his hands. So after what feels like a million trips to the bathroom, I finally got the brilliant idea to look for a slightly taller step stool.

At the store, Jeep chose a red, folding, "as-seen-on-tv" step stool and he proudly carried it most of the way to the checkout. And I will tell you, those extra two inches have bought us both a whole new world of independence. Now Jeep is able and free to turn on the hot and cold water as well as turn it off. All by himself. So I am free and able not to be there. I love you, sweet independence! At least for today.

Favorite Photo Friday

Happy Ninth Wedding Anniversary today, honey! Thank you for the beautiful flowers. I still can't believe you found the same kind of roses we had in our wedding. You amaze me!

Favorite Photo Friday

"Crazy Hair Day" at Jeeper's preschool. Rock on, my little bub!

Favorite Photo Friday

My dear friend, Bea, had a baby boy just a few weeks after CeCe was born! Here is a shot from their first playdate.

Piggy Bank

For the most part, Jeeper is good at recognizing boundaries. Sure, he negotiates daily and he pushes hard for what he wants when he wants it, but he isn't one of those kids who snatches the decorative items off your mother-in-law's coffee table and he knows to ask for a grown-up's hand before stepping into a parking lot. So he caught me off guard a few months back when he put coins into the CD-player in my car stereo.

He was "playing car" in my car in the garage -- sitting in the parked car (no keys anywhere near for those of you who are questioning my parenting skills) and pretending to drive it. We had gone over the rules a number of times before: no turning on the headlights, honking the horn or playing with the CD-player. Other than that, he could turn the radio dials, flip the windshield wiper lever up and down, push on the hazard light button and imagine he was speeding down the road all he wanted.

As you can imagine, the coins in the CD drive have rendered that part of the stereo inoperable. And neither my husband nor the dealer can get the coins out. Which means that I'll have to replace the stereo system if I want to play CDs ever again. And although I've thought about tapping some of the funds in JP's "Savings" or "Taxes" accounts, for now, I'm opting to rely on the radio. And I must admit I'm enjoying the one small perk of JP's coin adventure -- no children's music! Since all of his music was on CDs, when he demands "kid music" I can calmly remind him that the CD player doesn't work. And when I ask him why, he remorsefully replies, "Because I put money in it." Well, son, how about some good old rock and roll instead?!

Lovesick

Loathers of mush, beware! Excessive adoration below:

I am crazy, madly, punch drunk, head over heels, wildly in love with my kids! Sure, I've got postpartum hormones contributing to the teary-eyed, lump-in-my-throat, shout-from-the-rooftops profession of adoration, but the love is real.


CeCe melts my heart with her little baby sweetness. Her tiny perfect fingers and toes, her fragrant head and soft hair, and how overall she is delicate, soft and warm. I love holding her, cuddling her, changing her, nursing her, rocking her, and just looking at her.

Jeep is my amazing toddler. I am in awe of how he changes daily and delighted with the way he communicates, negotiates and reasons. I think he is undeniably handsome and loads of fun and he is still my cuddle-bug and a perfect combo of ornery and angel.

I'll probably need to come back and read this post after a future power-struggle, tantrum or sassy defiance. But even in the face of parenting's challenges, while the mushy thoughts may fade for a moment, loving these two is the easiest thing I've ever done.

Welcome

Welcome... to any reader who stumbles onto this long-dark blog.

Welcome back... to myself and to writing.

But mostly, welcome to the sweet baby girl born to our family last week!



Here in this "Seattle Sun" space you will be called CeCe - a nickname I chose for you when you were wiggling inside. You are loved and adored by your Daddy, your Mama, your big brother Jeep, and many, many other family members and friends.

A Boy's Blessing

This was originally posted on Blog Mamas on August 18th, 2007.

One evening many months back, when Jeep was younger and more often waking multiple times a night, in a sleep-deprived haze I thumbed through a book of devotions and found a prayer that I have prayed with my son every night since:

Dear God, shelter us under your wings of love. Grant us a peaceful night and a restful sleep.

After the above phrases, I rattle off a list of "God blesses" starting with Daddy, Mama and Jeep. After the three of us, the nightly list would vary widely from every grandparent, aunt, uncle and cousin, to all of Jeep's classmates and the neighborhood pets. A couple of months ago, Jeeper surprised me by interupting me after the word "sleep" and reciting "God bess Daddy, God bess Mama and God bess Jeepee." So sweet. He has been in charge of the "God blesses" ever since! It has been fun to observe nightly who he selects to bless. Daddy and I almost always make the list, but beyond that it may include that day's favorite teacher, one of his stuffed animals or a neighborhood pal.

Last weekend, a good friend was visiting from Oregon and she was sitting on the living room floor with me and Jeep when I told him it was time for his nap. He sunk into my arms and began chanting "God bess Daddy..." I laughed because we don't usually say prayers for naptime but it was funny that he related it to being about to get into bed. Then he said, "God bess Mama," and paused before he pointed to my girlfriend and pronounced, "God bess dat one."

Happy Hill, Golf Guys & Bubble Bub

A few days ago we took a four day road trip vacation with Jeeper's Grandma and Grandpa. I learned a few things, good and bad, about car travels with a toddler. Next time we take Jeep on vacation I plan to be a little more careful about coordinating travel and naptime, for example. But I had to share these three highlights of the long weekend:

After Jeep started getting restless at a restaurant, he and Daddy wandered outside and found a little hill and Jeeper went crazy rolling down. I couldn't believe how many times he would roll down and then pop back up, run up the hill and do it again. He laughed and laughed. Such a typical childlike thing to do. Who hasn't rolled down a hill? It was a rite of passage -- a very fun one!

Daddy, Grandpa and Bub played a little putting course the next morning and the Jeeper held on through 12 holes. He concentrated really hard, was super sweaty after they finished and kept repeating his dad's coaching for days: "Back, through!" It was amazing to see him play so hard with the big guys.



Our boy, bubbles and a beautiful view.

Rock Star

We've were hit hard with the January flu bugs at our house. I got up one day after a morning of throwing up and sleeping to find my hubby sitting in my floral "mama-chair" glider holding a sleeping Jeeper who had been incredibly fussy without his mama around. Daddy had been holding and rocking Jeep for over two hours because it was the only way the little guy would sleep. It melted my heart and filled me with gratitude for a spouse who is such loving father.

Seeing Red

Jeeper tripped on the floor yesterday (admit it, you've done that before too), fell right on his face and got a bloody nose. I was in the shower so his daddy did the comforting and clean up. Fortunately he was fine a few moments later but I was a little traumatized since this was his first truly bloody "ouch." I imagine there will be more in the future since he's an active and energetic little boy. However, first bloodshed feels like some kind of mothering milestone.

A Dream Come True

I have great news to report: The sippy cup of my dreams exists!!! The Nalgene Grip-N-Gulp (NGG) is everything that I had hoped and imagined a few months ago. I love the description of the bottle on the company's official website:

"We’ve taken on Everest. Now we’re ready for toddlers! Nalgene containers have stood up to some of the worlds most extreme conditions. Small potatoes compared to small children. The new Nalgene Grip'n Gulp™ is tough enough to survive being thrown from a moving minivan, spill proof enough to compel parents to blame the rug stains on the dog, and odor proof enough to allow leftover milk to go undetected under the couch for months. Most importantly, its a great way for little kids to reach new heights."

The first time I spotted the NGG it was in the cupholder of an SUV parked at Jeeper's school. A few weeks later we were brunching with friends and they gave one to Jeep to use for slurping his apple juice. I made an admiring comment and they told us we could take it home (it was no longer needed since their youngest is a very mature six year old who is so over sippy cups). After my brief but delightful experience with this hand-me-down version, which proved to be all that Nalgene advertises, I ordered one for practically every toddler I know. I recommend you do the same. (The best price I found was the SALE price at http://www.campbound.com/.) Happy sipping!

77 Names

Angel
Angel Cakes
Baby
Baby Bug
Baby Cakes
Big Boy
Boy
Bub
Bubba
Buddy
Bugger
Buster
Buster Brown
Cowboy
Cute Heart
Cutest
Cutest Heart
Cutie
Daddy's Boy
Darling
Dear
Dear One
Diddle Diddle Dumplin'
Farmer John
Frere Jacques
Honey
Honey Bunch
Jack
Jaguar Prince
Jeep
Jeeper
Jo Pat
Johann
John
John Patrick
Johnny P
Jota Pe
JP
Juan Patricio
Little Buddy
Little Bugger
Little Fella
Little Guy
Little Man
Little One
Little Sweetie
Love
Love Bug
Love Bunch
Love Munch
Lovekin
Lovey
Mama's Boy
Monkey
Muffin
My Son John
Ornery
Peanut
Pride ‘O Me Loins
Pumpkin
Snuggle Bug
Son
Squirt
Sunshine
Sweet Angel
Sweet Boy
Sweet Cheeks
Sweet Heart
Sweet Pea
Sweetest
Sweetest Angel
Sweetest Boy
Sweetest Heart
Sweetest Pea
Sweetie
Sweetie Pie
Tiger

Power Struggle

I recently called BlogMama to propose a topic for her personal blog gratitude365… electricity.

Probably not at the top of your thanksgiving list, but I know over one million people here in the Pacific Northwest have a newfound appreciation for the juice that fuels our overhead lights, garage door openers and furnaces (and a whole slew of other luxuries). While many homes in the greater Seattle area had power restored one, two or three days after the wild wind storm the night of December 14th, we were among the unfortunate few who waited eight days in the dark and cold. Okay, we didn't exactly wait all eight days - the last two nights we stayed in a hotel, but even during those two days the trips home to pick up necessities were chilly and dim.

Living without power has many similarities to camping so the first day or two it was almost fun. During our "camping adventure" we relied heavily on our small woodstove. We used it for heat (the uneven temperatures were frustrating at times), for cooking necessities such as grilled cheese sandwiches and cowboy coffee (water and grounds thrown together into a saucepan and heated to almost boiling), and for entertainment ("Dancing Flames: the Mini-series").

But while I imagined I was Laura Ingalls-Wilder at first, I quickly tired of hauling wood and stoking fires. Those oh-so-important daily toddler routines became impossible and Jeep's moods swung wildly. We tried to be grateful knowing there are so many tougher challenges in life, but patience ran thin all around. The hard-to-penetrate-darkness was the hardest blow for me personally and I felt completely exhausted by 7:30 or 8:00 each night.

This brief challenge brought great respect for pioneers and people who suffer through disasters with losses much greater than the food in a fridge. I am ever so slightly more aware of what is truly important in life (the answer is people, not clean laundry - although clean laundry is very, very nice) and also a tiny bit more aware of all that we take for granted in our easy, electric lives. That being said, the moment the electricity came back on I ran around the house, flipped on every light, turned on the TV, played the radio, cranked up the heat, started the laundry and ran the dishwasher. Ah, the power of power!