Lucy Loo was kind enough to test out/model some headwear for me... And even deigned to make some cute faces for the camera.

(I am so in love with the sparkle that is always in her eyes. ♥)

My sister Beckie says the flower-top shots look like she's ready to go to the Royal Wedding. Pip, pip, LuLu!

This next one reminds me of Fruity Pebbles...

Look-- I think she LIKES Fruity Pebbles!

And one more--

(Is it me, or does she look like a schmoozy-TV personalityface in that last one?)

*

Okay. Time to get going today. Gonna attempt a shower without other grownups in the house to herd kids...

Gonna attempt to wear REAL clothes...

Gonna attempt to stay on top of my day, my LIFE, even.... Just for the next few hours.

(Gonna keep playing "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" til it stops working its magic, 'cause apparently the baby LOVES her song at the moment!!)

Must go now. Noah needs nagging at to finish his breakfast... And Lucy is chill, so this might be shower time!!

*

Green and Growing...

My mama passed along some purple pole bean seeds to me this spring...And though we had a rough start with them, and needed her to come back and help us nurture them to their now-abundant state, we are now officially endowed with some glorious bean vines and their glorious purple bean produce.

{Note also the tomato plants behind the hand in that shot... Tomato plants! Like I dreamed of in this post! Never mind the squirrels have been stealing the green tomatoes so far... Ugh.}

Meanwhile... Out of the blue, we noticed a pumpkin/squash/melon/gourd vine growing happily all by itself in the corner of our yard. Happy and independent. And NOT planted by us.

{I LOVE the curly-ques of these vines}

What a riot, right?? A thriving vine, NOT planted by us. Turns out that in the winter, when I threw out the mini pumpkins and gourds from our Fall decorations (I tossed them in the corner of our yard, thinking maybe some squirrels would eat them as winter food. Oh, the irony-- I WANTED to feed the squirrels then... but now they are eating my tomatoes and I DON'T WANT THEM EATING ANYMORE!), at least one of them managed to deposit a few seeds deep enough in our soil to get this vine growing. Happy surprise!

We are finally seeing what the vine is turning out to be-- not pumpkins like I was kind of hoping for, but a fun striped decorative gourd. We've been watching two of them grow plumper on the vine this past weekend. 

Ah, green things... It feels good to have a few in our yard that we are taking care of... Makes me feel like trying for even more next year!

*

(But let us not speak of the two separate Great Zinnia Massacres of 2011 at this time. The wounds are still too raw.)

This Week Kinda Kicked My Bum...

I can't believe it's been nearly a week since the last blog... It's been kinda nuts-- something taking us out of the house every day, some rough nights of sleep necessitating nap times for me instead of blogging time. It's been good-- I'm starting to feel I can get out in the world like a normal human again-- but its also been exhausting.

Meanwhile.... Lucy turned 3 months old this week. Can you believe it?? (Dang it! I have GOT to finish and post Lucy's last three days of her newborn month... Note to self: Do it this coming week!)

Somehow, in between errands and outings and naps and colic regressions, we managed to get these photos done:

Lucy, 3 Months

(inspired by these/link to month 2)

Isn't that hat cute?? A dear friend from my ward crocheted it just for Lucy. I love it! 

*

Meanwhile, another crafty and recipe to share. First, the recipe: 

White Chocolate-Dipped Cereal Pops

~ inspired by the Trix-on-Stix I saw on Pinterest, here~

The Original Recipe- Trix On Stix

It's pretty much just Rice Krispies treats...minus the Rice Krispies.

Supplies needed:

1 box of Trix cereal {10.7 oz.}

1 bag of small marshmallows

1 stick of butter {you won't use it all}

1 pkg of mini jumbo sticks {tongue depressors}

A. In a microwave safe bowl, add 1 pkg of small marshmallows and 3 Tbs of butter.

Cook for 3 minutes on high

{keep your eye on it - every microwave is different}

B. Next, butter your spatula.

It makes stirring all that stickiness SO much easier.

C. Add about 3/4 of the box of Trix cereal to the bowl of warm marshmallow-e goodness and stir well.

D. Let the Trix mix cool for about 10 minutes

{The balls stick together better when the marshmallow has cooled a bit.}

While you're waiting, butter a pan to place the finished balls on.

When you're ready to start, butter your hands so the mixture doesn't stick to you either.

{**Tip: re-butter your hands after each ball.}

E. Grab a fistful of Trix mix, roll it into a firm ball in your hand, then stick a stick in the middle of it.

  My Own Variation:

I did exactly what the original recipe asked, with the following modifications:

1. swapped Cocoa Puffs for Trix

2. used white melting chocolate and 4th of July sprinkles to jazz up the finished product. 

3. Note: I started by adding the chocolate to the non-stick end... but I found that the whole thing held together better if I put the melted chocolate around the stick (see photo #3 above.) The stick thing is a cute idea... but it really didn't work well for us in reality. I might skip that part next time. 

All in all, a fun project, and tasty!

*

And the crafty:

Fabric Scrap Necklaces

{found here, and super cute on the original model!}

First, a pile of torn fabric strips... ready to braid, with the help of my handy clamp. 

Next, some not-so-gorgeous self-snaps... What can I say? I schlump about at home on the days I don't have to go anywhere... and a bandanna head is pretty common. 

Did you spy Lucy in the mei tai sling? Sleeping so peacefully... 

Yeah, I used one of her elastic headbands to hold her binkie in. It kinda worked. *blush*
(As soon as she was truly asleep, I took the band off. I promise.)

And Noah, playing in and around my area, using the dowel as a "train" and other fascinatingly imaginative things... Cute kid...

The final braids, temporarily knotted together so I can keep track of which go together for the necklaces...

A pretty fast crafty, and I did get them finished and made into necklaces. My assessment--- they look EXTRA cute in the sample photo I used as inspiration, but I'm still trying to convince myself they look as cute on ME. Haven't worn them in public yet.... Still, they were fun to make!

*

Okay. Hate to blog and run, but this post took way long to blog... I have GOT to go to bed!!

Small New Goal: One Project, One Recipe

Remember long ago, when I was crafty? sewing up a storm? When free time was so abundant I even WASTED it sometimes? Remember? Like all the way back to April?

Lucy sure has changed the game. Ha!

But that's all right. I knew it was going to happen, and I truly don't lament this season away from SuperCraftiness. It was coming, I was prepared.

Still.

There's a part of me that craves making things... Craves being creative. Even if it is a tiny thing, a fast project, a set of photographs... Even our little garden this year... SOMETHING creative.

And so, as Lucy has been working her way out of the Troubled Newbornness, I have been able to find little pockets of precious time-- often with the help of a family member or my sweet hubby to help ride herd on the kiddos-- to get creative. And it has been like taking a long cold drink of water.

And even those little tiny moments of creativity have been so good for my soul that a small new goal hatched itself in my brain the other week. What if, while life is still running away from me and having two kids is still kicking my butt, WHAT IF I still try to do ONE little crafty or project, and try ONE new recipe a week? Just one each.... Every week. Nothing monumental... nothing expensive. Just some little crafty and some little recipe.

I have to say-- the idea has latched on, taken hold, and makes me smile. I like this goal.

So. For my first week, here is ONE recipe, and ONE crafty. Baby steps back to the Creative Life.

Recipe first:

Strawberry Bruschetta

{this recipe was found, as most will be, on Pinterest.com. SO many good ideas for food there!}

There's just something about goat cheese, basil... strawberries... Fresh fresh fresh....

And for anyone interested, here is the actual recipe, from the Annie Eats blog:

Strawberry Bruschetta

Ingredients:
1 cup strawberries, hulled and diced
1 tbsp. sugar
1 French baguette, sliced on a bias
4 oz. goat cheese
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
¼ cup minced basil leaves
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Combine the  strawberries and sugar in a small bowl; toss to combine.  Let the berries macerate for about 30 minutes so that they begin to release their juices.  Spread a thin layer of goat cheese on top of each baguette slice.  Top each slice with spoonfuls of the strawberry mixture.  Drizzle lightly with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Top each slice with the basil leaves and cracked pepper, to taste.

Source: slightly adapted from Whole Foods via The Curvy Carrot

*

Next, the crafty...

Mini Pillow With Pillow Case

So Noah needed a new pillow. We'd been using a fleece pillow he and I had made together last year, and it was ratty and gross and smelled a little like pee. No thanks. So I whipped up a cute little pillow while he watched cartoons and Lucy napped.

I made it "toddler bed" sized, and after making the pillow itself, I thought it needed a pillowcase, to maybe help prevent that pee smell in the future--- easier to wash the cover than the pillow itself, and all that...

{Noah wanted in on the next photo...The ham.}

And since Lucy was still sleeping, and Noah was still amused by his cartoon, I decided it needed a fleece monogram. "N" for "Noah. 

 

I didn't really use a tutorial for the pillow project... Just whipped it out and kept measuring and adjusting as needed. If anyone needs some basic instructions, I might be able to put something together. Let me know!

Side Note: Isn't Noah so cute? Really... With his new pillow, a random Transformer in his right hand, hamming it up for my camera... Love him.

Other Side Note: Since I get to show some Noah cuteness, it seems only fair to share some Lucy cuteness... Here she is, from that same day (2.5 months old). I can't decide if I prefer black and white or color...

Isn't that smile of hers enough to make you ALMOST forget she was so tricky those first ELEVEN WEEKS? 

Ha!

*

 So, happy upcoming week!
Besides trying a new crafty and recipe, my other goal is to blog Lucy's last three days of newbornness here.. I need to get that all wrapped up, ya know? And I get to take her 3-month photo... that'll be on Tuesday...

And so on and so forth. Life marches on. And it is mostly pretty good.

Together, As It Should Be... Day 27.

Day 27 was Mother's Day. In honor of which, I orchestrated this seemingly serene set-up:

Trust me. In actuality, it was NOT serene. Mostly because Mr. Grumpypants woke from his nap on the wrong side of the bed (as evidenced in the next two photos). And I was stressy because I wasn't able to shoot AND be in the shots (Control freak. Sad.)

But with a ton of help from my family (Mom wielding the camera, Uncle Steve doing silly things to get smiles), we got photos I am truly happy with.

And today seemed like the perfect day to post these, in honor of Joe returning home and the four of us being, once again, together.

as it should be.

*

Failboat.

Let me start by saying:  this post is both a love letter and a WhineFest...

Today I hitched a ride on the FAILBOAT.

Today I have learned the not-so-pretty truth that I am not very awesome when I try to do this Mama thing completely alone. Today I learned I simply don't have the ability to be a B.A.M. (that's "bad-ass mom" according to my November Mamas...) like I always assumed I would-- at least not when I'm doing it on my own.

 

Today I have learned how much I actually rely on my husband, my beloved, my Joe, to help me be the mom I aspire to be. 

I mean, of COURSE I know he is a HUGE help. Of COURSE I know that he's my teammate. But... it took him leaving us for 48 hours for me to really see what I am WITH him, and what I become without him. 

Today, Joe left at 4:00am to fly out to his sweet grandmother's funeral. It was the best possible reason for him to go. It was so important for him to be there. She was an incredible woman, and I am so grateful he is there to celebrate her remarkable life and legacy.

Sending him away for this was a no-brainer, and I truly thought, "It's only 48 hours. We're gonna be FINE over here! FINE!" I mean... I guess I'm pretty self-assured in life. I am usually pretty good at the things I try... (Truth is, if I know I'll be bad at something, like, say, water-skiing, I don't even try. Keeps the failing at a minimum!) And I've felt some Mama Mojo seeping back in as Lucy's temperament has settled a bit. I have begun to think, "Hey! I can DO this Mom-of-Two thing! Watch out, world! I'm BACK!" So, when the time came to send Joe off, I was all, "See ya, hon! Have fun! We're FINE!"...

The beginning of the end. Something about coming off of a long, late-night holiday (getting OUT of the 4th of July festivities proved the most tedious, and we didn't fall into bed until 12:30am), and then entering a full day with the knowledge that there'd be no relief pitcher coming at 5:30pm to give me a break... It just set the tone for the day today. So it became really hard to find our way out of pajamas. It became easy to let the TV do a lot of the babysitting. We were just TIRED, and there wasn't going to be a break really... so we dug into the day in Survival Mode. But even Survival Mode, which I've done before and made it work, kinda fell apart. 

There was just so much frustration in my every attempt... in the changing of diapers... in the making of lunch. In the trying to keep Lucy asleep. In the "playtimes". I felt... stuck. Tired. Unable to make anything work well. I already blogged about the cookie attempt--- the one time I thought I had my crap together enough to do something FUN and EXTRA... And they burned. Totally burned. 

And it's not like the first 10 hours of the day USUALLY have Joe around. They don't! He's at work every day, for Pete's sake. But something about the knowing he wasn't coming home just made the whole day harder. Even EATING fell apart more than usual. Wanna know what I managed to eat today, without his cute lunch he has been making me daily? 

Breakfast: Reese Puff cereal/milk

Snack: (this was the most decent meal) cheese stick, beef stick, strawberries, graham cracker

Lunch: cold noodles, burned chocolate chip cookies, milk

Dinner:  ???? Nothing yet...

Seriously. Bad news.

Naptimes came, and there was some peace... Noah went down great, Lucy slept in her crib for a 30-minute stretch, I rested, too... And even when Noah woke, Lucy slept on, and he and I had some lovely play time that DIDN'T feel forced or frustrating. We watched squirrels and talked about what we saw out my bedroom window and just hung out together...

But that was the eye of the storm, turns out. Because then Lucy woke up. SCREAMING. Had to eat rightnow/rightnow/rightnow!!!! And back on went the cartoons... It was about 6:00pm, and the end of my goodwill was beginning. Joe would've been home by now on a normal day. 

And then Noah started bossing me around about his diaper: He had pooped in his diaper, but there was MORE poop, so change my diaper NOW! Change it NOW! Emergency!!

And though it was getting late, and I was a bit worn down, I still had a bit of calm left from that eye of the storm earlier, so I thought (oh, foolish woman), "He has MORE poop? PERFECT chance to practice some potty training! Perfect!"

Somehow, I even got him EXCITED to try. Don't ask me how--- that's always been half the battle, the pre-trying motivation. But somehow I got him pumped to come upstairs, take off his stinky diaper, and sit on the potty to try some more. I had all the right excited faces and voices to show him, all the old bribes we'd talked about got re-introduced... we were on a roll. Lucy even chilled out on the carpet and cooed while I worked with Noah. 

But... within minutes, his enthusiasm faded. He was done. I was frustrated, but I let it go, and let him get his "I Tried" sticker. But he was walking with his legs squished together. A Potty Dance if ever I saw one. And I asked him, "Do you have to go pee pee?" And he said, "Yes! So I need a diaper right now!"

NO WAY, kid. NOT if your pee is THAT close to the exit. NO WAY. So BACK to the potty we went, and he was definitely NOT into it anymore, but come on!! He WAS THISCLOSE to peeing, so he HAD to cave in and do it in the potty, right?

35 minutes later, 35 minutes of trying EVERYTHING to get him to pee, including running faucets, putting his hand in warm water (haha! Like the old camp trick!! It was worth a shot, right?!?!?) that was a big NO. This kid has a urethera of STEEL. And my nerves were shot. I was so ANGRY. I kept it inside, reminding myself that any negative feedback from me would just delay this game longer, and I fake-cheerfully chirped, "Okay! Well at least you tried! Let's get your diaper on!" When really I was swearing/cursing/thinking murderous thoughts/crying inside... SO ANGRY. 

And by this time, Lucy's goodwill was gone, and she was beginning a tirade. 

We went back downstairs to finish his cartoon so I could cool down and try to get Lucy sleeping. His cartoon ended and suddenly I realized it was EIGHT O'CLOCK. How, how how had we gotten to EIGHT o CLOCK? Noah's bedtime! And I hadn't even PONDERED dinner. By this time, Lucy's sleep attempt was clearly failing. Noah was DONE with the day, and I had to find a way to feed him.  We three headed into the kitchen and the total counterful of dishes slapped me existentially in the face. Lucy was in my arms, requiring both hands to keep her happy of course (one arm holding her, the other holding the binkie in her mouth) and she was still crying around the binkie. Noah was getting annoying in his 3-year-old way, putting toys underfoot, pestering me about mindless things, asking for junk food for dinner... and it all just collapsed. I plopped Lucy in her carseat with the binkie held in place with a swaddle blanket. She cried and cried. I kicked Noah's toys/boxes/crap out of my path. Stormed into the kitchen and hastily swiped some peanut butter and honey on bread, opened a pack of fruit snacks, broke up some fresh broccoli, and opened a yogurt tube... plopped his "dinner" on the table and cut him off when he whined he wanted to play more-- barked that it was dinner time and made him sit and eat.

Then I stormed back into the kitchen and began banging dishes around, emptying the dishwasher and feeling pissy and bad and like a failure... And my jeans cuff caught on the the bottom rack of the dishwasher and pulled the whole thing out and I kicked a plastic bowl across the kitchen floor and swore a little...And loading the dishwasher back up, I dumped water all over the floor when I loaded a pan that wasn't totally empty. Gross. I got the dishes managed, and got Noah to finish his dinner, and finally got Lucy to stop screaming (oh yes, she cried this entire time)... On the edge of a complete breakdown, I got them both upstairs and got Noah's shower turned on. Got him undressed. Got him into the shower. Then got Lucy calmed a bit and changed into pajamas. Went back into the bathroom to see I had not pulled the shower curtain closed and the whole floor was flooded with water. Of course. AWESOME. WHERE THE HELL IS JOE??? HE usually does bathtime!!! Waaaa!!!!

I slopped some towels onto the floor, got Noah out of the tub, all while holding a Lucy-on-the-edge-of-crying... brushed Noah's teeth (did a HORRIBLE job), and got him in pjs while I set Lucy down to cry again. Got her back up in my arms, led Noah to his room, and calmed Lucy enough to be able to read Noah a book and sing him some songs... say prayers...And by now, Lucy had worn her poor self down so much she was crashing into sleep in my arms. And all I wanted to to was GET OUT OF NOAH'S ROOM AND BAWL.

And I'm not super proud of the ME I had deteriorated into. In fact, it was an ugly ugly truth coming out: I cannot handle two kids with the grace I always thought I would be able to. At least, not alone. 

I am not serene. I am not "roll with it"... I am not dexterous and multi-talented. At least, as a MOM, I am not these things. and it breaks my heart. I hate seeing how easily I fall into the "cope" and "survive" mode... How easily I get frustrated and just count down until I get a break. And that is the WhineFest. 

The love letter is this--

When Joe is here, I am far closer. Not there. Not perfectly calm and capable. But better. When Joe is here, I can take steps back and re-center and dive back in for more. But until today, it's been easy to mostly only notice the way a husband adds to the mayhem--- always leaving food to harden on the dirty dishes and never seeing the aftermath when unloading the dishwasher... leaving me to REWASH the crappy dishes myself... Among other typical spousal nuisances-- (see the way this dish fiasco has scarred me today? I can't get off of it!)... But the pure truth is--- 

I need him. Specifically, he makes me a better mom. 

And I HATE that I am on a one way trip on the FAILBOAT without him, but I LOVE that together, we end up doing a pretty great job. I love that he balances me out. That my strengths enhance his weaknesses, and his strengths cover my weaknesses. I love that he forgives me for being a touch dowdy after a particularly long day of parenting. I love that he sees my dark corners and still loves me. 

I love the way he comes home from work and cannot WAIT to dive into home life and kid time... That he immediately gives me a break, and is so willing.

I love that he has undertaken his Food Project, helping ALL of us eat better and more frugally as of late. 

I love his hugs. His compliments about what I do manage to get done in a day. 

Ya know? I love HIM. And I miss him.

And I am NOT excited about tomorrow. 

So.

There ya go. There ain't no B.A.M. here. I am deeply in awe of:

1. mamas with hubbies who travel, who have days and days without him to help

2. single mamas who almost NEVER get a break

3. mamas with more than two kids who still juggle it all successfully

4. my own mama

5. and my hubby, for helping me not completely fail. 

*

Day 26...

The vintage knit (crocheted?) coverlet is a treasure I found when Joe and I had our lovely weekend getaway to Rocheport, MO back in Feb. Yet another life event I never found time to cull/edit/share/enjoy after the fact. I lump it with many many other events in the last three years that have disappeared into my photo file archives and cry out to see the light of day. (Um, er, urgh... That turned into a guilt-tangent.)

ANYway. I loved the blanket when I saw it, and set it aside for Lucy. Love the yellow... 

Today's Randomness:

* Lucy has crashed out in my pouch sling for a naplet... I expect she'll doze for about 20-30 minutes on this one, at which time I can help Noah get down for his nap, feed her, then put her back to sleep for her longer afternoon nap. It's getting pretty predictable, her sleep, for which I am grateful. 

* Listening to my current iTunes mix of new favorite songs. Two are ones I fell in love with because of the show "So You Think You Can Dance"-- Ingrid Michaelson's "Turn to Stone" and the Cary Brothers' "Belong"... 

* Noah in under my desk chair on his tummy, playing with one of these cars--Automoblox.com-- a line I fell in love with when we saw them at the Indianapolis Children's Museum in February (um, yet ANOTHER outing never culled/edited/blogged/argh.)

* I desperately crave sweets all day, every day, and was dreaming of a junk food run to Schnucks... but instead I was frugal and stayed home and made chocolate chip cookies. Lucy was good the whole time Noah and I made the dough. I put 24 into the oven to bake.

* AND BURNED THEM.

* I am in despair. What a waste.

* I am looking pretty scrappy today: wet-hair-then-slept-on looking SKEERY, saggy old pajamas, no makeup... It's not cute, even in a scrumpy, boho, gypsy way... which I try to pull off sometimes. 

* SO many dishes piled up for me to tackle. But there's never a GOOD time to do it unless I let Lucy fuss/cry. Boo. 

* When Noah goes down for his nap and I get Lucy asleep, I'm a-gonna nap myself. So there. Dishes, you will continue to wait. I must recover from last night's late late night. 

Toodles.

Day 25 Photos/Day 80 Words

May 6 was Day 25... We're so close to the finish line now!

{wrap: sweater sleeve   headband: hem lace and hand-singed, hand-sewn flower, made by me}

And today, June 30, is DAY 80. Two and  a half months... Eighty months. It's flown, it's dragged... it's been a major time of adjustment and awareness...

I thought since we've made it this far with two kiddos, and since in many ways she is still in the routines of a newborn, I should take some time to document our typical Day in the Life before we move along and things change so much that I forget what these early days consisted of. So...

Our Typical Day, circa June 2011

Noah- 3.5 yrs. old

Lucy- 2.5 months old

Mama- freshly 34 (eek!)

Morning:

I wake up with Lucy, both of us in the living room, between 6:30-7:15am. She has been sleeping, swaddled tightly, in a co-sleeper bed on one leg of our sectional couch, and I have been sleeping on the other leg of the couch, usually with my hand blearily holding a binkie in or near Lucy's face. 

Joe wakes in our bedroom at 6:00 or 6:15, often to the call of Noah's voice--our 3.5 yr old who is still unaware that he can pop out of his toddler bed and come out on his own. Joe usually gets Noah, then brings him back to our room and lets him watch a cartoon on his iTouch while he finishes his snooze.

Joe showers, then he and Noah head downstairs to round up some breakfast. 

Typical Noah brekky-- Honey Nut Cheerios

A few variations-- poached eggs, or bran muffins, or toast/peanut butter

Typical Joe brekky-- cereal like frosted shredded wheat

his variations are similar to Noah's. 

As Noah eats breakfast, Joe assembles not only his lunch, but prepares a cute lunch for Noah and myself as well. He started doing this at the start of June, as a new idea for cutting costs and adding convenience to my SAHM life. It was all Joe's idea, and such a sweet offer. He even bought cute bento-esque boxes for us to make the whole thing more fun, and super portable. 

Meanwhile, Lucy and I are beginning to rouse, finally. Lucy nurses usually as soon as she wakes. We call Noah into the room and he gets to turn the sound machine (set to "rain") off for us. Usually he and Joe are in the room when I first unswaddle Lucy. We get some AWESOME morning smiles and cute stretches from her in the morning, so it's a fun thing to be there for. 

If Lucy has woken early enough, I get to hand her over to Joe before he has to leave for work, and I get a shower. Otherwise, it's a crapshoot when I might get that kind of time to myself. With Noah, Lucy, and I still in jammies, we bid Joe farewell and he heads off to work at UMSL at 7:35am. At this point, we usually indulge in some cartoons to ease into the day. We have a LOT of couch time these days...

Noah's current favorite show: Yo Gabba Gabba on Netflix. (He has only JUST discovered this show in the past 3 weeks. He is an insta-fan.)

Other favorites: Backyardigans, Super Why, Dinosaur Train, Bugs Bunny

MidMorning:

At some point between 7:35 and noon, I manage to get Lucy dressed for the day and Noah dressed for the day. MAYBE myself dressed for the day. Ha! There are various diaper changes for both kids (nope, the 3.5yr old is nowhere NEAR potty-trained), nursing every 2.5 hours for Lucy, and maybe a mid-morning snack for Noah and I. 

Activities we might do during the 8-1pm stretch:

* Cartoons, as mentioned

* PlayDoh or coloring for Noah while I edit photos or do some work

* Playing upstairs in Noah's "carnival" (the landing area play area) while Lucy lays on a blanket and is cheerful for brief moments

* Run necessary errands if we're feeling brave (otherwise, I put them off til Joe is home and I can go alone or with just Noah)

* Play dates, if we're feeling brave

* Hang out in the yard and water the plants, play with the hose

* Go for a walk with the new double stroller (to be introduced in a later post. It has a name. I love it.) or with Lucy in a sling.

* Necessary chores (often with Lucy in a sling. She loves the vacuum so I reserve that chore for one of her bad mornings. Insta-nap. Awesome.)

Lucy naps between 2-3 hours in the morning stretch. This can be either in small chunks (i.e. 45 mins/1.5 hrs./1 hr or some kind of variation) or in two big chunks (like  1 hr nap, then a 2 hr nap.) If there is one thing I am feeling confident in as her mother, it is that if it has been more than an hour since her last sleep, she is probably ready to sleep again. So if she's fed and changed, and still cranky, she wants to sleep. I trust this implicitly, and it has not failed me yet. She goes to sleep immediately once I begin the nap-prep routine with her. 

She is often held or slung for her morning naps. 

Midday:

Noah and I try to get lunch in around noon. We love having Joe's prepped lunches because we can take them with us if we're on the go, or just have food READY as soon as Noah is hungry. Lunch is low-key... But always has dessert. 

We often have another hour or so after lunch to play before Noah's naptime. 

Afternoon:

Noah naps around 2:00pm. Even at 3.5 yrs old, he is still a champion napper. He has not fought a nap for months, and often is out for the count for 3 hours. We ALL love this, him included. His nap routine is much the same as it's been for a long time: we go to his room and turn on his sound machine. We read 2-3 books aloud, then I sing him 2-3 songs and leave the room. The only addition to this routine is Lucy. If she's awake and calm, she gets to come along. If she is sleeping, I might put her down in another room so I can give Noah all my attention and both my hands. And if she is screaming, I have learned that it is okay to put her down in the other room for the 7 or so minutes it takes to get Noah's routine done. This has only had to happen three times so far, and the first time was hard for me... But I realized that Noah needed to know he was a priority sometimes, too... and since then it has been easier. Plus, it is very rare that it has to happen. 

Once Noah is napping, Lucy and I get some snuggle time of our own. I feed her, then often it is time for her big nap as well, lasting 2-3 hours. I get her to sleep and this nap often ends in her carseat or co-sleeper bed, and I am free to move around. I'd say about 3-4 times a week, I give in and nap as well-- about an hour for my very own-- and the other times I work on photo editing, cleaning, or just reading/chilling out in the silence. 

Evening:

Joe comes home around 5:15pm. Often he comes home to everyone sleeping. He might even get 15-30 minutes of his own downtime before anyone wakes. Noah is up usually between 5-5:30pm, and Lucy and I are usually awake by then as well. Joe has also taken charge of dinner as part of his Food Project, so he makes sure to play with Noah/hold Lucy a bit, but then gets down to the business of dinnertime and we all orbit around him a bit, happy to have him home. I might nurse Lucy in the room adjoining the kitchen, Noah might help out with cooking or go outside a bit...

Dinner is around 6:00 or 6:30pm, and is usually simple... The less time spent prepping food, the more time together as a family. 

Post-dinner, we often go outside. We have a teensy garden this year, so we water the plants, play with the hose, perhaps go for a walk... Lucy loves the outside, so if she's having a fussy evening, taking her outside is often one of the solutions. Another common pastime for Joe in the evening is to join Noah upstairs in his play area and indulge Noah in his fanciful imaginative play. "Bad Robots" is the current favorite game. 

Bedtime:

Noah's bedtime begins at 8:00pm. He is totally over the BATH, and prefers showers. He gets a shower every other day, and is THRILLED on the days he gets to "skip a shower". When he is in the shower, he still plays with toys like buckets and tubes and things, and loves to clown around. Post-shower, Dad helps him brush his teeth and get into jammies. Lucy gets a bath every few days, usually before Noah's shower. 

After shower/bathtime, Joe and Noah (and if Lucy is cooperating, she and I) sit in Noah's room and read books. then we all have family prayer and Noah says a prayer of his own, and then Joe takes Lucy and I stay to sing to Noah and turn off lights. Noah loves to find ways to keep me there as long as possible, including asking me to repeat songs, let him sing them back to me, hold his hand, get one more drink of water, etc. When I finally extricate myself and am at the doorway, he has taken to asking, "What do you have to go do?" and I make it sound as boring as possible so he's not tempted to whine and say he wants to join me... So I say things like, "Feed Lucy", "put on my own pajamas", "got to bed 'cause I'm super tired", "do chores", etc... Even if I really am going to go downstairs, eat cake and watch tv with Joe--MUCH more fun!

After Noah is taken care of, Joe and spend most evenings on the couch. I nurse Lucy, we watch some tv...

Current TV shows I'm DVR'ing (and Joe is tagging along with): 

So You Think You Can Dance

Bachelorette

America's Got Talent

Current Show We Are Watching On Netflix together:

LOST

Lucy is usually asleep by 9:30 or so, and Joe and I smooch goodnight and go our separate ways by 10:00pm. This odd arrangement for the time being is working really well for us, but is something I NEVER imagined would be my life. Joe sleeps on the couch with Lucy/cosleeper the first part of the night. If Lucy wakes before 1:30am, he is to give her a bottle and put her back to sleep, then come get me the next time she wakes (around 3:30). If she wakes AFTER 1:30 (usually around 2:30am recently), he just comes and gets me then. We switch places and he gets the bedroom for the second half of the night and I get Lucy duty. Lucy usually sleeps a good solid chunk from 9:30-10:00ish to 2:00-2:30ish. Then when I take over, she will usually wake to nurse every 2-2.5 hours from then on-- typically about 2-3 total feedings. I can't complain-- this sleep thing is WAY better than with Noah at this point. 

Things I might do while nursing in the middle of the night:

* read a Kindle novel on the iTouch

*check in on Facebook/Twitter/emails/message boards/Pinterest on my iTouch

*play a game on the iTouch

*lay my head back and sleep, accidentally letting Lucy graze for 45 minutes a side instead of 10-15 minutes a side.

And that.... Well.... That is our life right now. With VERY little variation. And has been for over a month now. It'll shift and morph over the next couple of months, so I wanted to grab it and document it before it did so.

It's all good. Good days. Bad days. Baby smiles. Toddler brilliance. Passing smooches and hugs with Joe. Summer gardens and shorter to-do lists... Tis life. 

We're living as best we can. 

*

Lucy's Day 24

And Notes From This Morning:

* My fingers smell like strawberries from cutting some up for Noah's breakfast

* Lucy is snuggled into her carseat with a binkie held in place by a blanket... Giving me two hands and a moment to myself

* I am reading Winter Garden by Kristen Hannah on my friend Amelia's recommendation. I'm reading on my iTouch Kindle app, which still feels like cheating on "real" books, but is awfully handy.

* The headband Lucy is wearing in her photo above is from Pooks and Lulu, on Etsy, and it was a total splurge purchase because I love it so so much.

* She was a good girl in her third week and slept/posed for me in that shot, but she wouldn't close her little mouth, and I only got about 4 shots before she woke and was done. I love that I even managed the one above, "perfect" or not.

* I feel melancholy this rainy Monday morning.... I don't feel like I have it in me to get out of the house or unpack from our weekend trip to Columbia, or get work done, or do something clever with Noah. I hate this feeling... Mostly, its not fair to Noah...

* I felt empowered to make some new goals yesterday-- was feeling charged up about them...But clearly this morning's "fresh start" isn't really looking too impressive. Maybe tomorrow?

* I've been typing one-handed while I rock the Lucy carseat (oy, you should see these typos!!) and lo and behold, she zonked out. Cute!

* Except Noah is now poopy (how awesome that my 3.5 yr old is not at ALL potty-trained?) and that cancels out the sleeping baby victory.

* New Elizabeth Mitchell CD is providing the soundtrack to my morning. 

* Off to rescue the day since its only 8:40 and its not a bust yet.

Smatterings....Including a CURRENT Photo of the LucyLoo

Remember how yesterday, I mentioned that all the Lucy photos I'm sharing kind of keep her in a time capsule of newborn-ness? And that she really HAS grown? I promised a current image for the blog, and am happy to share with you Lucy's 2-month photos, taken on June 12. This first one is an homage to THIS brilliant idea, found on Pinterest, originally done by www.younghouselove.com. They did weekly photos from birth, which is AWESOME because infants change like CRAZY in the first weeks... but since I was well-entrenched in the 30 Days of Lucy at that point, I decided I could adapt this cool idea to be a MONTHLY thing for my Lucy. Starting late, at Month 2... since I didn't even know this awesome idea existed during Month 1. Anyway, enough yammering. Here's the pic:

But since I caught Lucy being cute, I had to snap a few more before the crying photos inevitably began... And BOY HOWDY, did this girl give me some cute stuff:

I mean, I am SO in love with her eyes! Not only the current color (as-yet-to-be-determined what they will ultimately be)... but the sparkle and awareness that begins to enter a baby's eyes after the first month. I LOVE her alertness, and the trademark Lambson Big Eyes I apparently bring to the genetic table. Noah always had the same round head and big eyes as a baby... Check it out. *swoon*)

Seriously. She is such a cute baby! And the happy moments we get? PRICELESS.

*

On to other smatterings of randomness....

Noah is in Primary at church... a Sunbeam. It is so cute to see him start to learn like a KID and not a toddler, and it is a crack-up to hear his retellings of his lessons. Often, too, he'll come home with some AWESOME piece of art/project from his lesson, and I MUST keep it forever. Like this one, from Mother's Day:

Not only am I TWENTY-ONE (cool!), but I am the BEST at the airport. You should see me. No one rocks an airport like I do. And for the record, Honey Nut Cheerios is HIS fave food, not mine. Mine is still chocolate cake with vanilla frosting. (But after a trip to Soulard Farmer's Market this last weekend, and a stop at the artisan cheese booth, specialty goat cheese is threatening to usurp that spot.)

And then this one, from this past Sunday. (Shh--- I suspect his sweet teacher helped a LITTLE with this one...)

Too cute for words, right?

*

And on to today. Did I just drive around in our car for an hour, JUST to keep Lucy asleep long enough for a decent mini-nap? Why yes, yes I did. We were leaving the playground from a playgroup gathering, and Lucy was on the edge of a meltdown. She chose sleep instead, and crashed within 3 minutes of us getting in the car. So instead of heading home, which was 13 minutes away, I asked Noah if he wanted to go on a drive and we hit up Taco Bell for a cheap lunch and cruised town. For an hour. We headed north on Skinker, then east on Page... North on Union til we got to I-70... Then we headed into the city and ogled the Arch and some trains and the other industrial buildings of the riverfront... Then headed back west on Arsenal, north on Jefferson, then west on highway 40 til we ended back on Skinker and finally pointed toward home.

Was it worth it? Oh yes. It absolutely was. Noah and I chilled, listened to Regina Spektor, enjoyed the gorgeous day and the sights from our windows... and Lucy slept better than if we had gone straight home and tried to shift her settings.

*

Last random bit: Have you guys been to Oh Lolli Lolli, the candy shop on De Mun in Clayton? SO cute, such yummy variety, and right smack next to the playground we like to play at sometimes. Noah and I got ourselves a treat after our playgroup today. Mine was a small bag of triple-dipped toffee balls.... And I truly TRULY wish I could show you a photo of this amazingness.... This new favorite treat I've discovered....

But somehow, during that hour-long drive, they disappeared. 

Trust me, though--- AMAZING. I'm going to have to keep myself from going back for more. 

*

All righty...  Lucy ended up sleeping another hour AFTER we got home (Atta girl! Thank you!!!), hence this blog getting done... But now she is awake and nursing and she writhes when I try to type as I nurse... So I'm outta here. She's not getting anything accomplished at the moment. 

Toodles!