Bay Area Snow

What kind of mom are you?

So, I had a bit of a mental lapse. I'm still getting used to the fact that Sophie is fully potty trained, as long as I bring her travel potty seat so she doesn't "fall in" the big kids toilet. Of course, I forget to bring it and as I'm changing Noah's poopy diaper I tell Tim to take Sophie to the restroom and have her try to go potty. First off, I should apologize to my husband because I knew damn well she wasn't going to sit on the potty and I knew she was going to throw a fit about it. She did the same thing when I forgot the seat and asked her to go potty in Tim's bathroom at his office. As I predicted quietly in my head, the event went down just so.

Moments later, Sophie is sitting in her stroller and a stream of you-know-what comes pouring out like Niagara Falls. So, Tim says he's going to take her to the bathroom and clean her up. It's not enough I forgot the potty seat, I also forgot to replenish the diaper bag with new pants and underwear. So, what does every dad do in a state of panic? Stuff her jacket underneath her and tell her, "It'll dry." I think I deserve mother of the year, don't you? So, thank goodness we're at the mall and I had already purchased some pajamas for Sophie.

So, my daughter was stylin' with a turqouise and lime green sweatshirt, baby blue silky pajama bottoms with cherries on it, and pink shoes. All I know is if Tim wasn't with me, I would've walked into the first store and bought her a brand new outfit, head to toe. But instead, I swallowed my pride and continued shopping as my daughter looked like she was dressed by her colorblind mom.

Stinky Milk

Tonight we went to the mall to do a little shopping. On our way home, Tim tells Sophie we are going to get an ice cream treat. The conversation between the two continues like this:

Sophie: Mommy get ice cream?
Daddy: Yes, Mommy will get ice cream.
Sophie: Daddy get ice cream?
Daddy: Yes, Daddy will get ice cream.
Sophie: Sophie get ice cream?
Daddy: Yes, Sophie gets ice cream, Mommy gets ice cream, Daddy gets ice cream. Does Noah want ice cream?
Sophie: NO! Noah wants stinky milk!

Indoor Fun

Noah hanging out in his bouncer. This bouncer is guaranteed to give Mommy at least 15 minutes of "run around and load dishes, load washer, take Sophie to potty, re-heat coffee for the 12th time."
Here's Sophie painting away on a rainy day. She's quite the artist...I'm thinking of setting up a booth at the next art festival in Union Square. She can make big bucks so I don't have to work.....child labor is okay in this case.
Here's the artist mixing her colors. She's a seasoned pro.

Busy weekend

These 24-hour work days are tough. How come no one ever told us about this when we signed up for this parenthood thing??? Not that I'm complaining; I'm just curious.

Anyway, it never seems to be a dull day in our household. By 9:30 am this morning, I ran out of crafty activities for Sophie and me. Sometimes I feel like the only way I can keep her entertained enough is if we were to join the circus. She painted for what seemed like forever and managed to get paint all in her hair while I wasn't looking. And the day got away from us so quickly she ended up wearing the red streaks in her hair all day.

Tim is installing new doors to all the bedrooms and bathrooms, so our house looked like a construction site all day. It seems like Home Depot and Lowe's are our second home these days.

Noah was a good little baby today. He literally sat in his swing for a good 30 minutes just looking around, enjoying the view....a first for him. Usually, he's sick of the swing by minute 2 and is crying his eyes out. Not today, thank goodness. Sophie, unfortunately, couldn't get by without hurting herself today. She bumped her head and now has a little knot on her head. I'm beginning to think she is going to end up as clumsy as I am.....not good. Every time she gets a scrape or bumps her head, my stomach hurts. Why would someone give a hypochondriac mom an accident prone child??? Why?

So, our Sunday will most likely be as busy as today was. I was so looking forward to getting the mail today because I was certain I was going to receive my US Weekly magazine (don't judge me). I was looking forward to reading it during my down time (usually now until Noah's next feeding). I seriously think someone has been stealing it because I didn't get last week's issue either....these tabloid magazines are addicting and we all know what's been happening lately!!! Anyway, I guess I'll have to catch up on Britney on Monday.

Stretching

I can't post too many pics on one blog, so I had to add this one later of Noah stretching to start his day....

Just hanging out

It was brought to my attention that some lady from rural Ohio, who likes to call herself Grammy, is experiencing serious withdrawal symptoms because she hasn't seen any recent pics of Noah. In an effort to relieve these symptoms, I have posted the above photos. More to come later as we are still becoming acquainted with our new camera.....

Computer is up and running!

So after exhausting almost all our resources, we finally got our computer fixed. Tim asked his computer tech guy to look at it and of course, he fixed it in a snap. What a skill!!! So, I guess I must live with my 7 year old computer for now....I have a new laptop on the way so I guess I shouldn't complain!

My lack of sleep has been getting the best of me. Right now I am functioning on getting 5 hours total, in two increments...one stretch for three hours and then another stretch for 2 hours. When I was dealing with Sophie at this age I was able to nap everytime she took a nap. But now, Noah is taking a nap and Sophie is ready to run a marathon so that erases any chances of my getting a little shut-eye. I'm notorious for counting how many hours of sleep I get, Tim gets, Sophie gets, Noah gets that I'm trying to stop because I think it's making me more tired. But, if I continue to be able to count the number of hours of sleep I get on one hand I'm in big trouble!!!

Sophie is continuing to get up in the middle of the night, sometimes 3-4 times at night. Not sure what is going on, but I'm thinking this is her adjustment period as well. I looked up night terrors, but I'm not willing to commit to this diagnosis as she doesn't seem to fit the criteria.

It's a rainy, dreary day here today. I was hoping to take the kids somewhere, but I think we'll be stuck inside for most of the day. Trying to keep a 2-year-old entertained continues to be a daily challenge for me. I think she's ready to go to school for a few hours a day, but since every place within a 90 mile radius has a waiting list, I'm not so sure she'll be able to get in before fall. Nobody told me I had to get her on a waiting list the second I found out she was conceived!!! Why do I always miss out on these memos???

It's Official!!!

I am proud to announce Sophie is technically potty trained!!! She now only wears a diaper at night and is doing incredibly well. For the past couple of weeks I have (albeit fearfully) challenged her by not putting on a diaper during her nap and she has impressed me beyond belief!!! The other day she even took a 2 1/2 hour nap and no accident!!! Yay!!! Now if I can only keep her from putting turkey up her nose, we'll be in good shape. Nothing like having her sneeze out a piece of deli meat after having a panic attack, "My nose, my nose!!!" Why do all kids insist on experimenting like this???

Sophie's 1st Sledding Trip to Tahoe

MIA

Some people have asked if I've dropped off the face of the earth. And the answer is yes...or at least that is what it feels like when your computer crashes and you have no access to the internet. It has seriously felt like detox for me during the last week....like I've been banned for life from Starbucks.

So, for some unknown reason my computer decided to have the last laugh and die on me. Of course this happens at 11pm at night, so I decide to call Dell and ask for help (aka India, which by the way, doesn't bother me at all. I don't like, however, that they each choose an "American" name to make it easier on us Americans. For some reason, I really doubt the two individuals I spoke to were actually a "Lisa" and a "Sean." Really, people, can we not adjust to an accent and a different sounding name? 2007, hello??? Sorry, long sidenote, I just have many students both from the Middle East and Asia who "pick" an American sounding name when they come here, makes me sad that they feel the need to do that...I'll get off my soapbox now.). The lady was very helpful and let me know there isn't much she can do. Thanks, thank you so much. So, she sends me a reinstallation CD because I have apparently lost everything and need to completely restore Windows XP. I wanted this CD asap because the thought of not being able to check my e-mail 10 times a day was wearing on my anxiety. So, I check the mail like a drug addict and finally get it two days later. During this time, mind you, I have not even touched my computer. I turn it on to find a new message telling me my hard drive is busted (actually they used much more technical terms, in hopes to make me feel stupid, but I knew it wasn't good). So, I drag the whole family to Fry's and purchase a new hard drive to replace. At this point, Tim decides to be part of this whole debacle and "tries" to install the new hard drive. He fools with it for 30 minutes and concludes by saying, "Dude, what happened to the computer?" Thanks Tim, why don't you catch a flight to India and join the rest of the Dell support team?

Long story longer, I am without a computer, looking into purchasing a new one, and hoping I can be a part of the World Wide Web soon. We are visiting my parents in Reno and it's almost 2am....what am I doing???? I've slept four hours in a row and my body has decided that is much too long, so I'm awake waiting for Noah to get up for a feeding. I might even wake him up; he does it to me...

So, sorry there aren't any recent pictures or videos. I actually have several good ones to post, but haven't been able to, including the pics from today when Sophie and Tim went sledding in Tahoe. Between the altitude, the deep snow, and Sophie on Tim's shoulders as he is walking up the hill with sled in tow, it was a great event to witness. Poor Timmy was so tired....and to think he watches these Discovery Channel adventures about Mt. Everest all the time and tells me he wants to climb it....

Grammy and Goppy's visit

Winding down

Grammy and Goppy have been in town for 10 days visiting with us. I can't believe how fast it has flown by...Tim and Sophie are already on their way to the airport to drop them off. It was a good visit and I think Grammy and Goppy got a good fill of grandchildren. Hopefully they'll be able to come out and visit again soon.

As a family, I think it will be good for us to start winding down. Sophie has been on a rampage lately...hitting, yelling, tantrum-ing. It's pretty obvious the changes in our family are affecting her a bit, but hopefully we'll be able to get into some sort of routine and Sophie will be able to adjust. For the most part, she has been really good, but I can tell she can sense our stress! And, as of late, I have not been very good about hiding it!!!

Noah continues to grow like a weed. I think he will be too big for his newborn clothes by next week!!! He gets weighed the end of this week, so we'll see how much the little chunker has put on!!!

Anyway, not too much as far as news. Tim and I have come to the realization that we are a good distance away from a good night's sleep. Last night was yet another good one....four hours total, each in two hour increments. But, I did get a nap in yesterday, which was so good I can't even describe it. Let's hope there's one in store for us today!!!

Is it me?

Is it bad that my son is only 3 weeks old and I'm already getting sentimental about how quickly he's growing up? I held him in my arms today and was shocked at how much he has grown already. This little boy is still eating like a horse, developing such a personality, and brings so much joy to my life. It's safe to say my feelings on this has Tim worried...worried that I'm going to be pressuring him for another one soon!!! I promised him we wouldn't discuss it or put serious thought into it until Noah is two. At that point, according to Tim, the part of my brain that maintains the ability to reason will have returned. Let's hope so!!!

Potty training update

I contemplated for a good half hour whether or not I was going to write about this subject. It's one of those things where I'm almost too superstitious I don't want to mess things up, but then I realized how lame I was and got over it (kind of....maybe....crap, here I go again). Anyway, Sophie is doing really well with her potty training. There, I said it. I almost feel like the idiot teammate who talks too soon about the pitcher who has a no-hitter going; therefore, jinxing the whole thing (we all know who these people are, and quite possibly may have been guilty of this at some point early in our soft/baseball careers when we didn't know any better). I feel like if I even make a peep that she is doing well, tomorrow means she will go through 10 pairs of underpants.

Considering my goal was to make sure she was potty trained by summer, I think we are working at a good pace. I know there will be moments when she will regress and even go through a slump, but I'm bound and determined to make sure I have only one child in diapers....soon, oh please, soon!!!

On another note, Tim and I are going to an Open House for preschool tomorrow. I'm already nervous about it. Don't know why, I just know how crazy parents are here and I'm not ready to play this "My daughter can do this and my son can do this and your daughter hasn't learned this yet? Or, my kids are involved in this, that, this, and that." WHAT? We all know how competitive I am; let's hope Tim can keep me calm. Here I am stressing about the competitiveness in preschool, imagine me when Sophie starts playing in organized sports....I just might make the news.

Cuddling

Sophie and Noah are hanging out in Mommy and Daddy's bed early one morning. Sophie is turning out to be one terrific sister. Although, Noah has yet to steal a toy or annoy her in any way, but we'll give her the benefit of the doubt and predict she'll still be a great sister when the inevitable happens!

Proud Dyson owner

I am proud to announce I have finally joined the ranks of "Dyson owner." We finally got a Dyson a couple of weeks ago and let me just say Tim has vacuumed more than I have he is so impressed with this piece of equipment. I, of course, am not as amazed because I knew all along what this product was capable of. I will admit I have not been this amazed with a product since my Sonicare toothbrush (which, by the way, is equally incredible. It's like going to the dentist everyday, twice a day).

Tim feels the need to showcase how much crap he picks up everytime he vacuums, which although a bit disappointing to find out what a filthy family we are, Tim finds very gratifying that the vacuum is able to literally dust off the floorboards beneath the carpet.

We have also sold both our parents with the Dyson. Which probably isn't an easy feat, but we didn't even have to say anything. The contents in the vacuum was enough for them. As you can probably tell, I cannot say enough about this product.....get a Dyson, it will change your whole outlook on cleaning.

Desperation is setting in

I'm not quite sure what is wrong with my children, but for some reason they are out to teach Tim and me a lesson. For the past five nights or so, Sophie has been getting up 3-4 times during the night. Now, if you couple this with Noah getting up 2-3 times during the night, that means we are up 5-7 times during the night (you like my math skills?). And it's not like they're up at the same time. They magically know when the other is asleep; it's like they play tag. I'm convinced there's a sensor underneath my bed that let's them know the second my head hits the pillow. Needless to say, Tim and I are in serious need of continuous sleep. On top of everything, I'm still healing from the surgery and Tim hurt his back from working feverishly on Noah's nursery. So, not only are we getting up a thousand times at night, we also walk around like we're 99 instead of 29 because we're so sore.

Tim's parents are in town, thank goodness, so they have been a great help during the day. However, they are lucky enough to escape at night to their hotel. One of the perks of being a grandparent, I guess. All I know is if this ritual continues with our children, Tim and I may have to hijack the hotel room. We know this might implicate their future visits, but desperate times call for desperate measures.