Heads Up For Noah (FINAL UPDATE)

I have big goals for the next 4 days. I started to tell Noah what I wanted/or what should be accomplished by Sunday night, but the conversation got interrupted.

So, Babe, here you go!

*Easter painting/cookies with friends
*finish cut out Easter cookies
*Dye eggs
*Lincoln's Preschool
*Library
*5 mile run + (Noah's workout x4x1)
*12 mile run
*walk
*swim
*family night
*paper work (gotta pick up one form, and will be ready to mail!)
*Quizzing stats
*bring van in for electronics work (headlights randomnly turning off, not good)
*work 1 shift
*Deep clean basement (and throw stuff out!)- didn't get to, but did spend 20 min down there getting a start!
*Install new closet - half done!
*deep clean our bedroom (and throw stuff out!)- half done! Can't finish into the closet is completed
*deep clean boys room
*deep clean upstairs bathroom
*clean carpets upstairs
*host Easter- Mom ended up feeling better and taking it back, but Noah made the ham!
*YMCA egg hunt
*home egg hunt
*Sunrise service
*teach preschool children's church
*a couple of quick shopping trips
*possibly a hair appointment for highlights?!?
*school two days
*Little League Practice


I think we can do it...here I go....!

Oh, He Has Things To Say

I got asked if I was pregnant today. Maybe time to lay off the cardio milage and do some crunches?

Speaking of people saying things and asking questions...

Lincoln is talking.

He really, really is.

He sings songs. He tells jokes. He relays information. He tells on his brother.

He yells things in the store like, "I WANT MEAT".

And we can even understand him most of the time.

We are so pleased with his progress, and so are his therapists.

Yeah for language!

SAHM

Remember me? I am the girl that used to blog daily.

There is no real reason for the lack of posts, blogging is just the "dropped thing of the week". I have one (or two, or three) of those every week.

My master list has 12 vague items on it that I try to do daily. They are:
1. School
2. Devotions
3. Read (can be as little as 10 min)
4. Pray
5. Spend time with Noah
6. Family time (something fun with all of us)
7. Blog
8. Exercise
9. Daily task (1-3 assigned per day of the week)
10. Task of the week (1 floor assigned per week)
11. Calls/emails
12. outside home commitments

It is rare indeed for me to have a day that I cross all of those things off of my list, but it is what I aim for. And this last week, blogging got dropped.

Here are a few things running through my brain:

1. Last week I had a brief conversation with a stranger. He said something about stay-at-home moms not doing anything. I thought it was an odd comment. I mentioned this conversation to a coworker. I said, "HE SAID STAY-AT-HOME MOMS DON'T DO ANYTHING!!!!!!" (look at me all exclamation marky and offended, even though I am not a true SAHM). My coworker said, "a lot of them don't". He was not all exclamation marky and offended.

I have been thinking a lot about those short comments. I think that is very easy to take advantage of a SAHM status. After all, we don't really have supervisors to make sure we aren't slacking and to keep us from shopping or facebooking online all day. We ourselves have to stay disciplined and to work on making sure that as individuals we can't be accused of "not doing anything".

2."Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood." - Fred Rogers

"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I can't do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do." - Helen Keller

I saw the above quotes last week and of course philosophised about them while running. As a (partial) SAHM, who spends a lot of time monitoring play, I guess I am simply supervising their work. "Supervising my children's work" sounds fancier than "watching my kids play".

hmmm...enough comments for one day...I am off to continue to supervise my children's work and to continue to try to do the things that I can.

Berean

The boys and I were looking through the newly downloaded (uploaded?) pictures today. I noticed that they were mostly of Berean. I asked the boys if it made them feel bad that most of the pictures were not of them. Deacon looked at me incredulously and said, "why would we feel bad? She is soooo cute!"

My mom asked Deacon the other day if Berean had worn a specific onesie yet. Deacon said, "You know, I don't really notice her clothes that much because her face is just so cute". (Do you see the theme? If he is not talking about how cute she is, he is rejoicing with her over her new shoes).

And yes, sitting in her highchair with food on her face is a common look for her.

(I am hoping to get back to posting soon, I just got sidelined by life this week! Gotta tell you though, my living room looks incredible!)

Maybe Not

I hoped to have some blogging energy tonight, but I don't. Getting all the kids to church for Awana, and then leaving 5 minutes after it starts because of a belligerent 5 year old and his copycat brother, is exhausting work. But do you know what? Up to that point we had a great day. My friend and her cute baby stopped over this morning, we read some good books, did another standardized test with Deacon, Berean actually ate her lunch and was happier this afternoon, we went to speech, swimming at the Y, played at the park and spent time with neighbors. And I even managed to get a 2 mile 16 minute run in. And some cleaning. Can't forget about the cleaning. And the sun shone. Yeah!

Girl Trouble

What happened to my sweet baby girl?

Let me give you some key milestones since Berean has turned one:

*snarling at strangers

*shaking her head "no" violently when offered food

*refusing to open her mouth when offered most food (lest you think that the violent shaking of the head is just for dramatic effect)

*pointing at things that she wants, even though when she gets them, 9 x out of 10 she immediately discards them

*screaming when I leave her

*screeching when her brothers come near here (I would too, I guess)

*sleeping a lot

*just drinking sips and then throwing her cup on the floor

*when she does put food in her mouth, we often find it chewed up and spit out

Here are some key events:

*she turned one

*she is getting her first molars

*had a fever off and on for 2 weeks

*I took her to the MD and she doesn't have a bladder infection,ear infection or anything respiratory going on

*lost 2 ounces in the past month (and she doesn't have much to lose)

I have so many questions...

*is the loss of appetite related to her teeth?

*should I quit nursing her in order to get her to eat more?

*did she have a virus and is just still off?

*are these behavior/personality changes and she is just developing an attitude?

*she eats a lot less than the boys did, but she is also smaller...does she just not need as much? (I do remember a time when Deacon was super picky and we let him have waffles and stuff instead of eating the regular food because I was worried about his weight. I swore I wouldn't do that again, because it made him more picky, but I gotta tell you- I am tempted)

My plan?

*keep a close eye on her intake this week

*try a different sippy cup

*offer frequent drinks

*insist she sign "please" when she wants something

*make sure she is getting plenty of uninterrupted nap time

*if I feel the need, take her back to the doctor and have her tested for strep or something (does it hurt to swallow?)

Monday

Hmmm....Noah was supposed to post a video of Berean to the blog this weekend...but I see it was never updated.

How do I know this? Well, it was on his weekend list. His weekend list that was in my head, that is. I suppose I never got it on paper and handed off properly.

Despite it being a work weekend for me, we managed to fit in some actual "fun" activities this weekend. It was very bizarre, and my household tasks got neglected, but that is ok occasionally- I guess.

Noah and I watched a movie on Friday night. It was forgettable. Sorry, Bobby, but it was.

Noah and I and my sister played Catan Trails to Rails on Saturday night. It was fun, but I did lose and Noah won. So that was somewhat forgettable.

Last night when I got up from my "nap" (nap- what everyone calls what I do during the day, even though technically it should be a full day's sleep), Noah informed me that he had rented "Tangled" for the boys to watch, but they hadn't wanted to. So, instead of cleaning up or taking another "nap", we watched it.

I was so happy when Eugene cut off all of that ridiculous hair.

So.Happy.

I have very little tolerance for unrealistic things.

I can hardly watch super hero movies because of all of the stuff that gets broken by all of these thugs and heroes. Don't they even see all the trouble they cause, and all of the money that gets wasted because of their ridiculous egos?

Noah likes to remind me that super heroes themselves are fake, so it is ok for them to break all the fake buildings. After all, they will be repaired using fake money.

But since they are real actors and actresses, it feels like it should be real to me.

But it is fake.fake.fake.

And Eugene and Rupunzel should have died like 20 times. And before they died they should have been severely brain damaged.

Come on, Disney, let's find a realistic way for them to get away from people on horses. and rushing water. and lots of arrows.

I kept telling Noah, "she has got to have a headache from carting around all of that hair", and he kept telling me "but Julie, it is magic hair".

Whatev, dude.

That is so unrealistic.