Joseph, In a Nutshell

My sweet guys are 14 months old today!

I've been wanting to record a few things about each of the boys - little things that are quintessentially Luke and Joseph. Things I love and don't want to forget about their little personalities. But I didn't really know how to do it. Well, I'm stealing an idea from my friend Joyce's blog to just get it all out there in one big swoop. So without further ado, here are the things that make Joseph Joseph, recorded "Playboy style". (Thanks, Joyce!)

Joseph


Joseph likes:

Eating - just about anything and everything. The boy has an appetite that can go for miles.

Turning the power to the cable box on and off, on and off, repeat ad nauseum

Having his mama blow his hair out of his face

Shredding and eating all paper products he can get his hands on, especially his books.

Crawling into the ball pit and throwing the balls out at us. He has quite an arm.

Shaking his milk or water out onto his dinner tray and smearing it all over.

Sucking on wash rags and dipping his face into the bathtub. He's a total water baby & is so comfortable in the pool too.

Handing us blocks so we can build towers so he can then knock them down to great satisfaction

Jumping in the jumperoo (still!)

Sleeping (finally! He was SUCH a fussy sleeper. Now, he is the easiest baby in the world to put down for bedtime. He wants no snuggling [which is a little sad], no talk, no nothin'. He just wants to get straight to business - laid down in his crib and left alone. Such a change!)

Having his picture taken. He usually smiles when he sees me catching a shot.

Music and dancing, which is what I call his bopping up and down to the tunes.

Being chased by me, Luke, his daddy, whoever. He will look at you a certain way, and you can almost see him thinking Chase me! Chase me! It's soooo cute to see him giggle as he crawls quickly away (he's much too clumsy to try to get away while walking). He'll stop, sit on his bottom as he turns to check behind him. Then when he sees you're still after him, he'll giggle again and quickly turn back around to frantically crawl away. He laughs and laughs when he's caught and "tortured".

Climbing into his camp chair. He still has issues getting out, but we're working on that.


Climbing stairs. If we sometimes forget to put up the gate, we will often find him about a third of the way up. Fortunately, we've never had an accident. I really need to teach him how to come DOWN the stairs.

Clapping!

Being held. He's always been a snuggle bug and would be perfectly happy if I were to wear him all day long.

Helping Mommy do laundry. Or rather pulling clean clothes out of the basket and spreading them all over the floor.

His daddy. He is in a big time daddy phase right now. Greg loves it.


Joseph dislikes:

Diarrhea - his major propensity to get it + very sensitive skin = pretty godawful diaper rashes. We've invested more money in prescription diaper creams than all other drugs combined.

Shoes - we're working on it. He's got that Frankenstein walk going on. Shoes just add another tricky element to getting around. He's getting better and doesn't fuss too much when I first put on his sandals now.

Waking up in his crib. He is still not a happy camper when he first wakes up. Our alarm clock is usually Joseph's shouts, but even that has been getting better lately.

Hats. They just serve to piss him off.



There's much, much more, but these are things that jump out right now. Overall, he's a pretty sensitive kiddo, which means he can be somewhat "delicate" at times but also means that he loves his cuddles with us. Love it! Oh, and his giggle fits are to.die.for.




Happy 14 months, sweet boy! We love you more than you will ever know!

Luke, In a Nutshell

Now it's little Lukey's turn! Happy 14 months, my little adventurer!

Luke


Luke likes:

Peas, black beans, pretty much any kind of bean or bean-shaped food

Grabbing hold of the cats' tails (believe me, they love this)



Laughing. He has a crazy little almost-naughty chuckle that he busts out often. His teachers at school absolutely love it too. :)

Wheels. Anything with wheels. He likes inspecting them up close to see how they work, how they're attached, and how efficiently they spin.

Soccer balls. He especially loves raising them above his head and throwing them onto the ground to see where they bounce.

Throwing himself on a stack of pillows on the ground. I'll pile them up and watch the boys go to town. Luke will fall in and then wallow all over them with a huge smile on his face the whole time.


Books. Every night before he goes to bed, he insists on going through his books first, which of course, we oblige.

Mama's keys, gym card, pretty much anything I'm holding that doesn't look like a toy

Making a great escape, or trying to anyway. He's always reaching for door knobs. I'm scared.

His bottle. This has proven to be a huge challenge now that we're weaning away from bottles.


Talking. He is constantly chattering on and on about something that seems awfully important.

Grabbing a fistful of his brother's hair to help steady himself. Luckily Joseph doesn't seem to mind most of the time.

His Mama. He's going through a major mommy phase right now. And, yes, I do love it. :)


Luke dislikes:

Going to sleep. After months of being the "easy" baby to put to sleep, he has suddenly decided - no thanks, Mom - it is not for him. He'll go down on his own pretty quickly if we leave the room, but he's not too happy about it.

Sippy cups. He is pissed at sippy cups now that we're trying to wean from bottles. I'm hoping he'll come around and they can be friends once again. (Actually this applies to both boys lately.)

Water running over his face. I think he panics. He's not all that comfortable in water (although our trip to the pool this past week-end was a major success!).

Letting me brush his teeth. He would much rather suck or bite on it without my interference thankyouverymuch.

Sharing. Joseph will hand us stuff - balls, blocks, food, whatever. Luke offers it out to us but never actually lets us have it. :) He also has a habit of giving his brother a not-too-subtle shove from time to time but especially when they're both clinging to my legs to be picked up.

Being still. He is always, always busy.



Watching him, I can almost see how his little brain is working and growing and figuring things out. He is very independent but still likes to check in frequently with Mom & Dad for cuddles. It is so gratifying when we get him into a rare, honest-to-goodness giggle fit. Oh, and he has intensely squishable cheeks. I love pressing them right up against my cheeks. Love it! :)


Happy 14 months, my little man! Mommy and Daddy love you to bits!

Practice for Sleepless Nights

You know when you're so exhausted that you can't even sleep? That's me right now.

Woke up at 3:30 this morning & have been wide awake ever since. Finally gave in, came out to the living room so I wouldn't disturb Greg, and now it's just me and these naughty kitties up to no good.

What to do? What to do?...

I know! Here's a list of all the baby-related details we have yet to work out/accomplish:

1. Find a pediatrician! Includes scheduling meetings & asking tons of what I'm sure are perceived as irritating questions.
2. Buy video monitor. (MC, if you happen to read this, thanks for letting us test drive yours. Jack is super-adorable, by the way. But, of course, you know that already.)
3. Buy 2 miracle blankets. I'm told these are worth their weight in gold.
4. Find a camcorder. No idea. Lots of reading to do on this one.
5. Scotchguard car interior. Anyone know how to do this?
6. Tint car windows. Recommendations?
7. Install car seats. Have them checked by the Austin fire department.
8. Figure out how to add boys to Greg's insurance.
9. Buy a double stroller. Thank you, Shelley, Tim & Greg's co-workers for the gift certificates that will buy this.
10. Craigslist our current double stroller. (It won't accommodate our car seats.)
11. Sort out cloth diaper situation. We're doing a rental package from Diaperlicious until the boys get a little bigger. (That cute, little blonde munchkin in the red-checked diaper is Ms. Hadley, heart-breaker & avid Ani fan.)
12. Pack my hospital bag.
13. Find a rocking chair/glider. Thank you, Mom!
14. Figure out how the heck to use a Moby wrap. This is the longest stretch of fabric you can imagine - Greg almost died when he saw it - but you can use it in so many different ways as a baby carrier. And look! There's a twin carry!
15. Join Austin Moms of Multiples. I should have done this ages ago but haven't had any time.
16. Investigate college savings funds. Just in case Greg's plan of the boys earning soccer scholarships doesn't pan out...
    
17. Figure out middle names! No one believes us but we still haven't pinned this down.
18. Get prenatal massage. My friend Shawn gave me a gift certificate for my birthday, but I've been too busy to schedule it...
19. Get pedicure. Katie gave me a gift certificate for this, but again, I've been too busy to schedule it. Sad, isn't it...
20. Give Greg a haircut. Not baby-related but I felt bad mentioning the massage & pedicure without throwing in a little somethin'-somethin' for him too. He loves it when I cut his hair. (Good thing he's not fussy.)
21. Buy baby books! The kind where you document the early days.
    
22. Check out gyms with daycare. Lifetime Fitness has been recommended.
23. Why do I feel nauseaous suddenly? Lack of sleep?
24. Hang nursery decor.
25. Just heard Greg wake up (6:45 - have I really been awake for 3+ hours?).
26. Find mondo diaper bag - one that Greg won't be embarrassed to carry.
27. Find some mommy groups (so I won't go crazy at home).
28. Set up a will/trust fund for the boys. Designate them as life insurance beneficiaries. (Don't really want to think about this...)
29. Think about birth announcements instead - wish we could hire a pro photographer for newborn shots, but I'm afraid it's not in the budget. :(

Is that it? That may be it. Or maybe my brain just stopped functioning. Anyway, that is a healthy list and will keep me very, very busy until these babies arrive.


If you've read this whole blog post, wow. A+ for patience.

As for me, maybe I can catch a few hours of sleep before I start my day. Or maybe not. I'm going to give it a shot though. Wonderful day to you. Sweet dreams to me.

I Think I Can, I Think I Can, I Think I Can...

I know you've heard this from me before, but I mean it this time. No, really. Honest! I'm going to get off of my butt and run the 3M Half Marathon here in Austin on January 25th, 2009. That's the day of my 32nd birthday. Thirty-two... Wow... I do not like the sound of those numbers. ::sigh::

Anyway, I'm posting my training schedule in an effort to keep myself honest.

Click on the image, and you'll get a bigger version.

Not too demanding, but not too easy either. Of course, none of this is set in stone. I'm bound to flake or be too sore or just plain too wimpy to get out the door for every single run so I'll allow for a little wiggle room. What I will - MUST - do are the long runs on the week-ends. The long runs are crucial.

Back in 2004, I ran the full Austin marathon with my roomie Tricia. See:

Yes, I know you've seen this picture before.
But I'm really proud of that accomplishment
so I'm going to post it a few more times
if that's okay with you. :)

We ran the marathon in just over 4.5 hours, and the only training I did was one long run per week. I'm not saying that's a good way to train and would not advise it to anyone, but that's what I was able to do and it worked. If I hadn't been getting those long runs in, I would have died after mile 8. I'm sure of it.

So I will say that I'm going to try to stick to this schedule, but at the very least, I will get in a long run each week. The blank days are for either rest or cross-training. "7M with 5M pace" means I'll run a total of 7 miles, which includes a 1-mile warm up, a 5-mile stint at race pace, and a 1-mile cool down. "8M with 4x1600" means I'll run a total of 8 miles, including a warm-up, four 1600 meter runs at slightly faster than race pace with an 800 meter jog between each, and a cool-down. "4M race" means I'll either try to find a local race that I can sign up for or I'll treat that run as a race and do the whole thing at my goal pace.

This is going to be a long, uphill battle because I am so very, very out of shape, but I need to do it. I've been under so much strain lately that sometimes I find it hard to take deep breaths or focus or do anything productive at all. I need an outlet, and running has always been a fantastic stress-reliever for me. I think I'll feel so much better physically, emotionally, spiritually once I'm in the middle of this training.

Now. To find a few suckers wonderful people to train with me...

:)

Things I Am Thankful For...

1. I have married the most kind, generous, loving man I've ever known.
2. We have a beautiful house together.
3. Our kitties are sweethearts.
4. My sister is moving in with us. Yes, Mel, I listed this as a positive too. :)
5. My friends and family are all healthy.
6. This time next year, I will be out of grad school.
7. I've gotten to travel to some pretty amazing places.
8. I get the opportunity to try teaching and working closely with students.
9. Shoes - and not the practical kind
10. People who still believe in manners and friendliness
    
11. Independent movies
12. Public transportation
13. Claritin
14. Girly evenings with my book club(s)
15. Fiesty evenings with my soccer team
    
16. A new presidential administration
    
17. ...

I will think of more. But now its time to get back to work...

I feel better already. :) Everyone should make this list from time to time.

Thirty-One, O.M.G...

I'm turning thirty-one tomorrow. Holy crap!

Thirty-one. Three One. 3-1.

Deep breath. Its only a number. Its only a number. Its only a number...

This morning as the realization sank just a bit deeper, I started taking stock. Its only natural that since I'm here at work and feeling swamped that I immediately focused on the negative aspects. Here goes:

• I'm still in grad school, nervously & anxiously fretting about the outcome of this loooooong interlude in my life.
  
• I'm still running experiments that probably will not work.
  
• I need to be writing my dissertation at the same time.
• I may or may not have bitten off more than I can chew with this class that I'm taking over.
  
• Soon I'll be out - one way or another- and I'll have to find a "real" job.
  
• I'm surrounded by pregnant women.
• As of tomorrow, we will be sharing our house with my little sister for some months, which is not really a negative until I remember how bitterly we used to fight as kids. And this worries me.
• I'm a full-blown allergy sufferer now.
  

I am one overwhelmed, sometimes-frantic, often-crying stress-ball.

The most logical short-term remedy? Pampering. Definitely.

Yesterday I had my hair cut and highlighted. (Yes, Mom, I highlighted my hair! No lectures!) Tomorrow I'm getting a pedicure, a gift from my birthday last year. (Thanks, Claus & Morgan!) And my lovely husband has organized a little party for later that night. This week-end I'm hoping to relax and catch up with the family - my mom, brother and sister will all be here- and take a little reprieve from the worry.

And I'm also going to force myself to come up with a more positive list for taking stock. This is no way to start a new year in my life.



p.s. Ewa, I got your birthday card yesterday. Thank you! It had a big sparkly high-heeled shoe on it surrounded by little (shoe?) fairies. Plus, I have a $10 discount at DSW. I think that's a sign if I've ever seen one.