Isaac has hit that phase where every little thing that goes wrong, no matter how minor, warrants the Death Scream. He'll outgrow it soon, I'm sure; the others did it too. In the meantime, I have about three heart attacks a day, and inevitably, DON'T come when he's actually hurt.

On the other hand, Brenna has figured out how to make him laugh really quickly, and its such fun to see her step into that role on behalf of her pesky little brother.

In related news, last night, the kids were being SO LOUD in bed, what with the cackling, bouncing and merry-making, Brian made a sarcastic comment about it clearly being time for sleep. I responded, "yeah, but they really like each other."

"Yeah, I guess they do," he said, and we sat there for a bit and just enjoyed that idea.

On Time. Or Not.

This morning as we were leaving for church, I looked at the clock and said, "if we leave now we might actually be on time. What would we do with ourselves then?"

Brian responded, "act like a family with four kids that has their act together."

Never fear, we wouldn't want to look like we have our act together. Before we got on the road we had to turn a jacket around the correct direction, untangle a twisted seatbelt and buckle in an oversize teddy bear that we all understand (thank you, Nathan) is not really a person.

Keeping expectations high around here!

Because I want to remember

I'm not sure that anyone else would ever be interested in this list, except, perhaps women who may also wish they could remember. These are things I never want to forget, but know that I will:

The feel of my slimy baby as they put him on my belly after his birth, that moment when he squirms on the outside of me, all slippery, and I reach down to hold him, so that he won't slide right off. So tiny, skinny, warm.

The first time he eats, he knows just what to do, though actual skill is not there yet. And he calms. Exactly as he's been designed to do.

The way his feet are completely soft, no calluses, yet.

Probably my favorite thing about a newborn, the way he opens his mouth to catch me when I kiss his cheeks. He shakes his head back and forth like a baby bird. I always miss it when they grow out of that.

The way he stops, mid panicked-cry or frustrated grunt, when he latches on to eat. As though the angst never happened.

His body, curled tight, his feet pressed against his shins.  At two and a half weeks, he's already beginning to stretch out and relax.

When I lift him in his sleep, and he arches backward, with his tiny fists pressed against his cheeks and his lips pursed, knees pulled up high. The tiny grunts and groans at the unfairness of being moved.

We swaddle him, and he takes two ragged breaths, then calms.

The way, those first few days, he looked so much like his big brothers, I would forget who I was looking at.

The songs that play in my mind whenever i hold him, Beautiful Boy by John Lennon, Love You Up to the Moon by Kim Hill and the Christmas song, Sweet Little Jesus Boy.

A conversation with the big kids before he was born, as I waddled around the Yukon to our front door, about how Mary would have felt, sitting on a donkey for days, how long it took to travel, how she could not have walked, and the impatience at the end of a pregnancy.

His absolute assurance that my body exists to meet his needs, and my occasional sadness for babies whose needs are not met.

How his eyes sometimes cross when he tries to focus on things.

The peace and absolute contentment when he falls asleep curled against me. So tiny. And he knows he belongs there.


His breath. He has the most beautiful, sweet-smelling breath.

Every once in a while I catch glimpses of the expression that will become his smile. It's thrilling.

Mamas make mistakes too. Especially me.

This morning, at the encouragement of a friend, (hi, Nina!) I took the kids out for a Fun Day.  Fun Days are hard, because the day after the Fun Day is NOT FUN.  But Brian is out of town, and it's a beautiful day to be out and about, so I chose one of those paint your own pottery places.

Brenna and Isaac chose the exact same thing  right off, a train penny bank. Isaac has started the "train phase", so that was no suprise, but for Brenna to choose it as well surprised me. They got started, and had a blast, although Isaac gave up about half way through in favor of painting his arms instead.

Nathan meandered around the store.  Then he meandered some more.  He hemmed and he hawed, and finally I told him, "Nathan, if you don't pick something, you're going to lose the opportunity to paint."  So he chose an itty-bitty Christmas tree ornament.  Weird kid.  Thirty seconds later, when he was done with it, I told him he could pick another, and he chose a cute mug. They all had fun.

Afterwards, we went next door to a little cafe and ate lunch on the patio. Nathan was in such a goofy mood.  He was making faces at people through the windows and making the strangest comments.  He kept asking to run a lap around the large store/office complex we were in, and I repeatedly told him no.  I didn't get them drinks, because we had water in the car, so when he got thirsty and asked for a drink, I told him he could go to the car, which was within my line of vision, to get his water bottle.  Somehow he translated, "you can go get your water out of the car" to "you may run a lap through the very busy parking lot." 

I saw him walk towards the car... then he turned right...  then he disappeared behind all the other cars.  HEART ATTACK.  I grabbed Isaac and yelled for Brenna to follow, and of course Isaac spilled his chip bag and had to fuss, and Brenna had to make a big show of twisting her chip bag to save for later, and finally I got to the car, yelling all the while, but he was GONE. Isaac heard a flight of stairs callling his name, Brenna was doing a dance on the sidewalk, and I COULDN'T SEE NATHAN!

All of a sudden, I heard him calling me.  He was standing at the table we had just vacated. He had run a lap. And come back to the logical starting place when one does such a thing.  Oh, my word. Did that kid get a talking to.  I asked where he had gone, and he said he had run THROUGH THE PARKING LOT.  "Just down that row.  I looked both ways."

The talking-to recommenced. 

We covered LISTENING (he asked that I make sure he's actually listening next time.  I was like, "um, that's YOUR job, dude.  I can't make you listen!)

We covered locomotion through parking lots ("You NEVER RUN!  DO YOU HEAR ME?!  YOU NEVER RUN IN A PARKING LOT!).

We covered the relative size of six year old boys and cars.  He was inclined to argue that one.

Then we huffed our way into the car and started home.  On the way, I went through one of those intersections where there are two sets of lights, one right after the other.

I ran the second one. "SHOOT!"

As we pulled onto the freeway, this is what I hear from the backseat:

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who makes mistakes!"

"No, baby, you're not the only one who makes mistakes."

"Sometimes mamas make mistakes too!"

"Yes, mamas make lots of mistakes."

And from Brenna:  "Especially you, Mama!"

A nice, relaxing Saturday morning

Isaac must be having a growth spurt because he's been sleeping in 'til 7:30 for a couple weeks now.  And the big kids are feeling particularly self reliant, so they don't wake me up.  So I've been sleeping in 'til 7:30.  SEVEN THIRTY, y'all!  So if you don't count that someone wakes up with a hacking cough every night (usually the girl child), I'm getting like nine hours of sleep.  Don't worry, I'm not getting attached to it. I figure I have about one more week like this. But you would think I'd feel rested, wouldn't you?  Well, I sort of do, but the advent of a puppy joining are life has made our little family busy again. 

For the first time ever, I have to get my shoes on the moment I'm dressed because when I get downstairs, we're off and running.  The pup has to go out, Isaac needs milk, anyone who did not take care of their own breakfast has to be fed, anyone who DID take care of their own breakfast has to be directed to clean up the huge mess they made, and why can't the coffee just make itself?

Brian has pointed out on a couple of occasions that the signs all say I didn't brush my teeth this morning.  Well, DUH. Once I'm downstairs, I don't go back up until bedtime.  At least give me credit for showering!

So anyway, the combination of sleeping in and not ever leaving the puppy unsupervised have caused a reboot of our daily patterns. Like laundry. This is the first Saturday since we got her that hasn't started with load after load of laundry, and that is because NATHAN IS AWESOME!

This whole six years old thing is interesting.  Nathan is spaz-tacular in a whole new way. From what I can see, he's not alone; it's the way of the six year old boy population.  They are slightly insane. However, yesterday, when I came down after my shower, Nathan had run a load of laundry (unloading the dryer, switching the wash to the dryer, then a new load in the wash) AND run a load of dishes.  Then, when the dishes were done, OF HIS OWN ACCORD, he unloaded the dishwasher, refilled it, and ran it AGAIN! 

(At this point I should probably point out the obvious: we were way behind on dishes, too)

For the first time this month, I don't feel buried under housework that needs to be done.  I can officially turn my husband's attention to the other things that need to be done around here, like sorting out all of the outgrown clothing that gets crammed into whatever empty space is readily available, and figuring out where the long-term home of the dog crate will be.  Lodged between my sewing table and hope chest, it doesn't really add the the simple, clean look I'm ultimately shooting for (how come the pottery barn dogs always lay nicely on a beautiful pillow?).

Also on our to-do list today is to plant the early spring vegetables. Because it looks like we can count on still being here in the early spring. Beyond that is anyone's guess. I can't decide if planting food is optimistic or pessimistic, but it is super relaxing for me and a joy for the kids. So we'll go with that.

Life is sweet, if unpredictable!



'

Lots of Random

I shared this on facebook, but I thought I'd share it here too:

Today Nathan and I were talking about (of all things) the gender roles of women in other cultures (have I mentioned that this kid asks a lot of questions?).  He asked me for a specific example, and I, as usual, couldn't come up with something when put on the spot.  I told him, "I can't think of anything off the top of my head."

"Do you have anything at the bottom of your head?"

Hmmm....

*****

Paisley loves Brian's shoes.  She loves all of the shoes she finds, but she curls up and sleeps on top of Brian's with her mouth open, so that her tongue is against the inside.  Yum.


*****

I was totally craving mashed potatoes earlier this week, during my monthly bout of insanity.  So I made A TON.  And they're now sitting in the fridge, because my kids won't eat them unless under duress.  I think we'll be eating Shepherd's Pie tonight.

*****

I've ordered our literature supplies for the rest of the school year, and little by little, they're arriving.  New books!  And the one day that I didn't put the RING THE DOORBELL AND DIE!!! sticker out, the guy rang the doorbell.  I would get a plaque if it weren't that the schedule is not consistent throughout babyhood.

*****

Isaac and Paisley are sort of hysterical together.  Isaac is so strong willed, I haven't figured out how to enforce appropriate behavior with the pup.  Consequently, our day goes like this:

Isaac attacks Paisley.

Paisley attacks Isaac.

Isaac cries. 

I come to the rescue, separate the offending parties, calm everyone down.

Isaac attacks Paisley.

*****

Speaking of Isaac, he's calming down!!  Sort of.  This week, he discovered that the tops come off of the six inch gutter drain thingies.  Our toy car bucket has been reduced by about half.

I feel the need to note, though, that we cleaned out toys in a massive way last weekend.   So the toys now floating somewhere underground?  Those were the few we wanted to KEEP.

While I was on the phone lamenting the situation to a friend's voice mail (so that I would not lament the situation to my toddler at top volume), Isaac was pulling the keys off my computer keyboard.  So if you notice anyplace that an "r" is missing, it's because that one is broken and wobbly now. 

Also, I got the requisite Toddler With Lipstick All Over His Face Picture yesterday.  He was cute, I have one of each of the kids, and he didn't ruin the lipstick, though (like Brenna did for her picture), so I'm not holding that one against him.

*****

I think there's a huge benefit to having a puppy while having a toddler.  Bodily fluids are such a part of my daily existence, that another creature having accidents on the floor doesn't even phase me.

*****

So things are kind of busy around here, what with the new puppy and all, however, our floor has never been cleaner!  Since Paisley thinks anything left on the floor is hers by default, it all get picked up.  And put on a counter or table.  So if you come to my house, just stare at the floor, and you'll think I have this thing figured out!  But you might run screaming from the house if you happen to glance at any other surfaces.

Happy New Year, Y'all!

Two!

Thankful for Thanksgiving

My  head is just swimming with all the randomness.

I love this time of year, it's my favorite.  The music, lights, celebration, holiness.  I have things I want to share about that, and about Thanksgiving, about my kids, what I'm reading, what I'm trying to figure out right now.

The blogs I read are churning out beautiful, articulate posts; I feel like at best I might be able to come up with a bullet point list.

So I guess I'll start with Thanksgiving.  It was wonderful.  Absolutely better than I could have wished for.  We were guests in the home of some childhood friends, Rachel and Brandon.  We watched our children become reaquainted with one another at lightning speed while we brought one another up to date at a very slightly slower pace.

It was interesting, back then, when one of my very oldest friends married a friend from high school, and is even more interesting now, as adults, to have so. much. history.  It's sort of fascinating to me the turn that conversations take when a person knows who you were.  When very few explanations are needed because they were there.

It was a precious time for me, of remembering why history is so special.  Why being known is important.

Thanksgiving dinner was eaten at the home of Rachel's parents, Lester and Mary.  I've known them as long as I can remember.  In fact, I have no memory of before the LaBour's.  Brandon's parents came as well, and there we were, feeling like family with those who aren't ours, and yet are part of our history.

We had a good laugh when after being sent outside to play, the boys asked for a rope and ladder (the girls were upstairs playing with dolls).  Since none was available, Mary told them to play with the hammock.  The could take it down, do whatever they wished with it.

A while later, Rachel went out to check on them, and came back laughing because Nathan had told her, in all seriousness, "I just don't know how we're going to use a hammock to get on the roof."

It seems they felt the need to check on the girls and were trying to find an alternate route since they were told not to go up the stairs.

Isn't it hysterical how literal children are?  When you're thinking you just communicated that they need to stay downstairs, their understanding is they may not use the stairs.

It was a wonderful time.  And to cap off the weekend perfectly, we made it all the way home on Friday, so we still had a weekend to unwind from the traveling. 

The one thing I wish was different?  I miss the leftovers!

Thank you, Brandon and Rachel, and Lester and Mary, 

for a beautiful holiday.  

We felt loved, and are so grateful.

Oops, Forgot One

Quick Take #8 (how could I have forgotten?)

He was at the table peacefully coloring, or so I thought, when he unscrewed the top of the pepper grinder and dumped it on the floor.  I'll just let you imagine what happens when a full grinder (just refilled it last month) of pepper balls hits a hardwood floor from about three feet in the air.

And by the way, those things are hard to sweep up, because if you use a regular broom, they just keep right on rolling past the pile you're attempting to make. 

So yeah.  Isaac's week.  I'll try to think of something else to write about soon, but I can't make any promises, because chasing him around is pretty much all I think about.

7 Quick Takes, A Day Early

So, I know I've mentioned a time or three how hard Isaac is.  Well, Isaac being hard has been the theme this week.  So in honor of 7 Quick takes Friday, I will list seven thing that Isaac has done with the express intent of giving me a heart attack this week.

1.  I talked with a very lovely woman at Poison Control after Isaac swallowed 6 to 8 (I think) allergy pills.  Apparently, with this particular pill, he would have had to swallow 13 (THIRTEEN!) in order to require an emergency room visit.  Afterwards, he took a four hour nap, which was awesome, except for the expected concern and frequent trips upstairs to make sure he was, you know, breathing and stuff.

2.  He BROKE the cabinet latch.  The one designed to keep HIM out of the cabinet that holds Brian's tools, our art supplies and my camera (consequently, in a fit of frustration, he threw an 18 inch long screwdriver at me when I tried to get it from him).

3.  I've had to put the stool that Brenna uses to wash her hands on top of the kid's hutch to keep Isaac from using it to further endanger himself or our belongings.  I made this decision after he used his fingers to dig into Brian's deoderent and eat it.

4.  He also uses the now out-of-reach stool to flip the light switches, which is fun and usually harmless.  Except when the best light switches are at the top of the stairs.  There's nothing like coming around a corner to find your toddler stretched up on his tip toes on a stool six inches from a flight of stairs.

5.  More about that stool:  earlier this week I found him digging through the caddy with all our toiletries on it (and allergy pills, apparently).  When I told him to get down, he shoved me, pointed out the bathroom door, and in his firmest voice, yelled, "Go-Go!"

6.  On the upside, he's really getting the hang of sorting the silverware!  And un-sorting board games.

7.  This morning, I accidentally grabbed Brian's keys instead of my own.  He keeps a vial of his medication attached to his keyring.  When I turned around to lock the front door, I dropped them. As fast as Brian does it, Isaac screwed the top off the vial and had a pill in his mouth.  You better believe that boy was pinned to the floor before he knew what had hit him.  It hadn't made it past his lips, yet.

So.  On my agenda today is finding some way to lock up every medication in the house (thankfully, there aren't many) and also finding a safe, but convenient place to relocate the keyrings.  Prayer would be very much appreciated.

Future Plans

Me:  Can I keep you forever?

Brenna: And Daddy's gonna keep me forever, too.

Me:  I'm gonna keep all of you forever.

Brenna:  (Big smile)  But you might have a hard time keeping me when I'm a grown up.

Me: Oh?

Brenna:  I'm gonna live in the place with the "move it, move it".

Me:  Madagascar?  (we found it on the map this week)

Brenna:  Yes.  Then the place with the cinnamon.

Me:  Sri Lanka?  (from the book How to Make and Apple Pie and See the World)

Brenna:  Yes.

Me:  Well, thanks for letting me know.

Beautiful Disaster, or something like that.

Isaac.  Isaac, Isaac, Isaac. 

Yesterday, he dumped half a gallon of hand soap on the hall rug and in the laundry closet.

Today, there was this

and THEN he decided he's FAR too mature, at the ripe old age of 22 months, to use the hand rail when he comes down the stairs.   Have I mentioned that the stairs are really steep?  Because HE CAN.  That's why.  It's a heart-attack-a-minute around here.

Just now, I heard him dump the basket of cookie cutters on the kitchen floor.  ALWAYS BUSY.

Cute is not really cutting it right now.

Okay, while I've been typing, Isaac unrolled a roll of toilet paper and took the cap off the toothpaste.  I found him when I ran upstairs because one of his new favorite pastimes is reprogramming Brian's alarm clock.  So that it goes off during naptime.  And not when Brian needs to wake up.  Lord, help me.

Clumsy

My kids are all having growth spurts.  Isaac is noticeably bigger, but that's not how I know.

They cannot walk without hurting themselves.

These kids are CLUMSY.

I've noticed that when they're growing, it's like they forget how to use their extremities.  Fingers do what?  Seriously, somebody must have moved that wall!  Yes, the table is still lower than your head.  If you try to stand up under it, you're going to get hurt.  EVERY TIME.

In the same vein, I was wondering last night, when do we stop rolling around on the floor and sobbing when we get hurt?

I hurt myself pretty often, I think.  I don't trip and fall, I've never broken anything, but I'm a pro at catching my toes on things.  I've been doubled over using breathing exercises more times than I care to count.  Sometimes it hurts so badly I get nauseous.  But I generally remain upright.  I wonder what my family would think if I laid on the floor and wailed when someone stepped on my foot?

Maybe I'll try that next time;  see what happens.

Milestones, The Kind We Want

My boy is growing up.  No training wheels!  I'm doing a happy dance.

This boy's love language is totally affirmation.  Without a doubt.

And then...

There's this:

I'm so FLIPPIN' PROUD!!!

Sorry I've been absent for a bit.  This last week has been fuller than most since the school year started.

The library we usually frequent is closed for long-overdue repairs, so I finally decided it was time to find another one.  I found one in mid-city on the library website, then I looked it up on Google, and we were off.  There was no library at the given location.  This has happened SO MANY TIMES since we moved here.  It doesn't matter that Google says it's there, CALL FIRST.  Another reason for a smart phone.  Those things are looking more and more like they're worth spending too much money on!  We did finally find one, and got some great books, so that was good.  It just took up the whole afternoon.

Speaking of books, our FIAR book this week is Who Owns the Sun? by Stacy Chbosky.

This book is amazing, beautiful, and very hard for me.  And not at all hard for my children, which is fine, but makes me wonder if, well, I'm doing something wrong.  Like if I were teaching it correctly, they would understand.  But really, they just can't comprehend it yet.

The story is about a boy who adores his strong, wise father and asks him, "who owns the [sun/stars/wind, etc.]?" and his father responds with a description of the beauty of each of these things, and the answer, "no one can own the sun." 

Then one day, the boy overhears the man his parents work for talking about his father.  He is full of pride at the complements to his dad's strength and work ethic until the man says, "I wish I owned ten more just like him."

The conversation the boy has with his father afterwards is heartbreaking.

Stacy Chbosky was 14 years old when she wrote it for a school competition. 

For obvious reasons, race and prejudice have been on my mind consistently since we moved here.  As I talk with my kids about differences, it would seem that they are truly unaware of skin color and the value people place on it.  I am so grateful.  So grateful.


Well, I'm kind of worn out just thinking about that, so I guess I'll be back tomorrow with the rest of what we've been up to around here.  

Milestones

Isaac has reached another glorious toddler milestone!  

He can now take off his own poopy diaper in his crib.

The event was celebrated with much weeping, 

an extra load of laundry and a bath. 

A Week in Review

Nerf Wars!

 The dreaded Birthday Song

Candles!

Sprinkles!  And sweat.

A new haircut

 Legos!

A new bike!

A run in with a bowling ball.

Lots and lots of riding bikes.

A beautiful new doll doomed forever to nudity.

A daddy who has blessedly come to terms
with his boys and the color pink.

Admiring of a beautiful sky and a handsome husband.

New beds!  I plan to paint them.  What color(s) do you think?

They're coming for you!

Four

(For the record, Brenna would like to note that she is NOT four, because she isn't any bigger than when she was three.)

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

We are half way through Birthday Week here in the Chatty household.  I am TIRED!  This year, Nathan's birthday fell on Monday, and Brenna's is on Friday, which has effectively made our whole week a mess!  We have a house full of food that is normally off limits, and new toys that, for this week, are being allowed to take precedence over taking care of the house.  We are slowly working our way back to our normal routine, but really, I can't wait for next week!

Sunday, we had a crazy (CRAZY!) day, teaching Sunday School in the morning, bringing a bunch of boys home from church with us for a party, then heading to our life group after it was done.

Monday we relaxed for Nathan's birthday, played with new toys, did a little school, but mostly just hung out.  Oh, and I let the kids watch a bunch of TV since I wanted Nathan's actual birthday to be special too, but I was done.  Just DONE.

So there's today, then tomorrow, then Brenna's special day. 

It was fun to talk with Nathan about how his birthday is special for me too, because this is the anniversary of the day he came out of my tummy!   That got a big hug for me. 


TMI ALERT!

(That's 'Too Much Information' for you old people.)
 
Men, stop reading now if you're squeamish.



Okay, I warned you!

I was extra tired because The Curse decided to show up NINE DAYS LATE.  Needless to say, the extra stress really added to the festivities.  Ladies, have you noticed that the side effects are worse when you're late?  That was my experience.  Crying all day long one day, then bad cramps all day the next.  Ugh.

So.  I'm pretty sure next week will be more relaxing, though I'm sure my kids will start on oh, Saturday, planning for next year!

Six