Tool belt

If you carried around a tool belt everyday, what items would you carry in it and why?

1. Rubber gloves...because I clean bathrooms and dust spontaneously. I am always thinking, "I wish I had some rubber gloves right now!"
2. A wet and a dry rag...to do the dusting and wipe faces/noses.
   
3. Band-aids...I have two boys, enough said.
4. A small bottle of hand lotion. I wash my hands so much and they are very dry.
5. Wipes and diapers...both fore mentioned boys are still in diapers.
6. House phone and cell phone.
7. A pen and a small pad of paper...I have lists everywhere!
   
8. Chapstick, lip balm, or gloss.
9. Water bottle.
10. Teething tables...again, enough said.

You're tagged.

Miscellaneous

Yes, it has been 11 days since I last posted. It is so hard for me to find the time to sit down and write, though I am thinking about it all the time. This morning I am trying the "wake before your babes do" tactic...we'll see how long it lasts!

We've been home from CA since Monday night. We returned a day early, missing the redwoods, because I had food poisoning. That should really tell you how the trip was. It was not the greatest of family vacations....but I know from watching Chevy Chase movies (kidding!) that not all vacations are good ones. So we're all glad to be back home just in time for spring!

Sam is back at preschool and went twice this week...he LOVES it! I caught him singing the bumblebee song and the monkey jumping on the bed song while driving around town, he counts in number groups (1,2,3; 6,7,8) when playing with things....a nice change and I have grown to like the time without him! I am still reminded of how different the world really is at 8:00 in the morning. On Thursday this week I went to my girlfriend's house for coffee after dropping Sam off....I was there at 8:15 am!! It was strange and really nice.

We found a nice, used double jogging stroller while in CA...just in time for me to get out and enjoy the spring weather. I went on three great walks this week, two of which I was alone with the boys and I jogged half the distance. It feels good to have my body back...except I did wear TWO jogging bras to get enough support for my big milk boobies! I have always known women who needed to do that, but never thought I'd be one of them....anyway, the jogging was great! It also puts both boys either to sleep or in this in between state of coma and silent. I need that at some point in my day...especially because....

Sam will not stop talking! It is constant and though we can now understand 90% of what he says...it is constant! I mostly love his talking, the conversations we have. He expresses emotions to me now..."my sad, mommy", and I can ask him why and he'll tell me, "my hit window with hammer and daddy mad"....true conversation.

Arlo had his 4 month well-baby visit yesterday...2 weeks late (we're always late with that stuff...). He weighed 16 lbs. 15 oz., 26 1/4" long and had a head cir. of 17 1/2 "! He is quite a little porker! He now rolls over from his back to stomach (he did the day after I posted about him last!) and he is grabbing for EVERYTHING! A couple days ago he was sitting his his bouncy chair watching Sam have a bath and absolutely cracking up at Sam's bath antics! It was so sweet to watch. Arlo could watch Sam all day and be happy just doing that if Sam would stay in his line of sight for more than a minute or two. I can see that when Arlo becomes mobile the two will have great adventures together.
He is sleeping a bit better at night, only waking 2-3 or so times and I feel mostly rested in the mornings...still no teeth, but his feet are pretty cool and he can now wiggle just right, in this one position, around his chub rolls to just get his left toe in his mouth. He can't get the right toe, just the left and only barely!

Matt has been working a lot and I am quickly remembering what it is like during the field season. Our evening meal has been bumped to nearly 7 pm and bedtimes are later now too. I find myself wanting to pull out my hair about 4:30 pm or so and that seems to be the best time to go for a walk!
We'll travel to Michigan sometime the first week of May to see the town and check out housing. We're pretty excited for that.

Lost and then Some

We arrived in Davis, CA on Thursday evening and have been having a really nice time. Lots of walks to the park, the farmer's market, playing in the back yard, the Sac Zoo and sincerely enjoying the amazing Spring weather and blossoms everywhere. The air is literally scented with orange blossom and jasmine flower!

On Saturday morning we were all just hanging out in the house chatting, the kids were playing here and there. Sam was running from one end of the house to the other and in and out. Matt's folks live on a cul-de-sac with very family friendly neighbors and it is fine for him to be in the front or back yard playing...as long as someone peeks at him every few minutes. Pat went out front to peek and didn't see him, I went out back...lots of looking in closets and behind doors later we realized he was lost!
Barefoot and frantic I ran across the main street at the entrance to the cul-de-sac where there are a string of playgrounds to look for him. Pat jumped on her bike and began looking elsewhere. About 10 minutes of looking had passed and I was in tears imagining him in a burlap sack in the pack of some creep's pick-up truck on his way to child slavery! It was awful... and then Erin, Matt's sister, saw a little strawberry blonde head bopping up and down the back seat of the our parked car in the driveway! That little rascal decided to play in the car! What a scare....
So this trip here has been harder than trips in the past for me. I am thinking of my mother a lot and imagining her here or playing with Sam or bathing Arlo, like Pat has been doing. I miss her. My Dad wants to order her headstone soon and emailed me photos of some that he and my sister like. I looked and passed on my thoughts in a very matter-of-fact way...just doing the motions. Erin and Pat and I went thrift store shopping and the drive to Woodland was too long, allowing for my tears to well.
On a lighter note, we'll go for a great hike tomorrow in the coastal redwoods...I am looking forward to that.

Moving...this time for real!

Yes, Matt was offered the Assistant Professor of Organic Pest Management at Michigan State Univ. this afternoon! We are very excited. Here's the scoop...

He was offered the position officially, though there was not an official package offer yet. That will come later along with negotiations and a trip to Lansing to scope out our new town. The salary is nice, almost twice what he makes here! We'll likely move sometime in September, as Matt will likely start the job in October. This will give us plenty of time to prepare the house to sell and to move. There will be a stipend for moving so we're hoping to be able to hire movers this time! YEAH!!!

It is a bittersweet event for us. This is Matt's dream job, but we really love Wenatchee and the community we've created here. We'll be moving much closer to my family (about an 18 hour drive), but farther from Matt's folks. I am nervous and scared and sad and happy....a HUGE year for us.

I keep thinking about my mom and how she wanted us to get closer for so long and now we will be and she's gone. I know life takes it's twists and turns as it should, but I can't help thinking that.

Anyway, there will be many more posts to come about this big move...in the mean time, we fly to California tomorrow to visit with Matt's folks and friends for 2 weeks... a much needed vacation!

Arlo's Latest

Arlo will be 4 months old in 2 days! Of course the time had passed so quick and I look at him and can't believe he's so big, so strong, and so interactive. Here are a few of Arlo's latest...

• He recently found his feet and plays with them quite frequently. It is really cute to watch. His brow furrows and he looks at them so intently, then gurgles and has a great time.
• At night he has begun waking almost every 45-90 minutes to nurse. I think he is genuinely hungry, though he will sleep longer if I am snuggled in close to him. Go figure!
• He has rolled from his stomach to back, but not yet from back to stomach. He will roll onto his side to reach for a toy or get a better view of Sam!
• Sam is VERY interesting for Arlo to watch. He will sit and follow Sam around the room with his eyes. If Sam gets real close to Arlo, he'll smile and gurgle. It is very cute. Sam has also started soothing Arlo if he cries...without my prompt! It is really sweet to watch Sam be a big brother.
• Arlo also enjoys watching the cats. He'll smile at them and watch them very closely.
• Gurgling, cooing and laughing are almost always heard from his mouth. He is rarely quiet. Even his nursing is quite loud! Lots of "mmmm's" and wet slurps!
• He is beg enough now for me to wear him on my back in the Ergo carrier. It is so comfortable for he and I. I usually wear him through 1-2 naps a day, as he'll sleep longer if I'm wearing him. I do get lots of house work done this way...even vacuuming!
• Two little bumps are growing in his lower gums and I know any day we'll see a little tooth pop through! Sam was 3 months and 3 weeks old when his first tooth came. So I expect we'll see one soon. The drooling and fussiness seems to come and go. I am a little sad that his sweet gummy grin will be gone in no time!
• Arlo is weighing about 16 lbs and wears 6-9 mos. size clothes. Many 9 mos. things are beginning to fit quite well.
• He is a very mellow baby with a definite natural routine. I am quite in tune with his needs and it feels so great. I don't remember it happening with Sam this fast. I also find myself feeling much less worried about things....sleep, wearing him all the time, co-sleeping, etc.
  

Pre-Preschool

Today, my sweet boy, my precious first born, had his first day of pre-preschool. What is "pre-preschool", you ask? Well, it is the school your child attends when he has not learned to use the potty, but is mentally, socially and emotionally ready to participate in some sort of school-like environment. It is actually a day care with preschool curriculum and organization. I know the owner socially and she is an AP mom. I trust her implicitly and therefore trust her employees. It is perfect for Sam right now.

He was very excited to be there, excited to see me go and genuinely wanted to stay when I returned, 3 hours later, to pick him up. They made an art project, played outside and learned about where our food comes from (i.e. a steak comes from a cow...). It was harder for me to take him there, than it was for Sam to be there. I cried all the way across town after I dropped him off. Part of me is excited for him and part of me is so sad and not ready for him to learn about our world outside of the home. I think these are normal feelings. I really missed Sam this morning and thought about him non-stop from 9:00am until 12:15 pm. I hope that I will eventually enjoy the time more...time with Arlo, time to myself. I think I will as this becomes more routine for us.
He did talk about his "school" all afternoon!

9:33 - 9:37 pm

Arlo took a late nap this afternoon/early evening. So, I knew that he would be up a little later tonight, but we were watching a family movie so I felt like it would be nice. Around 8:30 pm I could see he was ready for bed, yawning, rubbing his eyes...you know the signs. I rocked and nursed him...it was so sweet. He looked up at me and smiled with his rosy cheeks and nose. He looked like a little cherub baby with his blues eyes sparkling....mmmm. This is why I love nursing him to sleep.
I set him down in his co-sleeper and quietly left the room. Over the next hour I helped get Sam ready for bed, brushed his teeth, cleaned the kitchen, and convinced Sam that it would be ok for Daddy to put him to bed. At 9:33 pm, Arlo woke up with painful gas. Here is what went through my head in the following 5 minutes:

9:33 ~ Oh, my poor sweet boy. I'll burp you...pat, pat, pat...uuururuurrrrrp...ok, all better now, let's get you back to sleep.

9:34 ~ Why are you still whining? I just burped you...I really need you to go back to sleep...mommy needs a break!

9:35 ~ Uuuuuuurururup...ah, yes, there you go. Why are you still whining? I can't believe we actually want to have a third baby, and go through this again? Could I even go through this again?

9:36 ~ Oh, his eyes are closing. That's it sweetie, go back to sleep...wow, that was a quick change in mood. He looks so sweet sleeping there against my breast. What a beautiful boy. I love him so much. I love you Arlo.

9:37 ~ There you go sweet boy, back in bed. Ah, yes, I can see why we'd do this again...what a sweet baby I have, sleeping so softly.