Whew!

I did it! I posted every day in November. It was fun, but I don't know that I'll be doing it again. It was just too much pressure to come up with something to say everyday.

And, as someone who has run out of things to say, I'll leave you with some cute things that Liam has done lately:

1. He pulls himself up to a standing position, holds on to my shoulder, and when I say, "Ready, set, go!", he lets go and stands by himself for a few seconds. He laughs hysterically and is obviously proud of himself. Then he either grabs onto my shoulder again or falls on to his well padded bottom. I still don't if he's going to be walking by Christmas.

2. He holds Sydney's pink, plastic (and fake) hair dryer up to his head and moves it around. Future hair stylist, maybe?

3. He's figured out how to make a clicking sound with his tongue. We've been having entire "clicking" conversations.

4. He points to various objects in the books we read to him. His favorite thing to point to is the sun. This is strange to me because Sydney always pointed at the moon when we were reading books.

5. He is finally drinking milk from his sippy cup. It is nowhere near the amount he should be drinking throughout the day, so he still gets two bottles a day so that he'll at least half of the milk he's supposed to get each day.

And that, my friends, is my final NaBloPoMo post. I'll be taking a break for a few days and post again when I think I have something noteworthy to say.

Random Updates

Since I've been posting everyday with random thoughts and situations, I thought I'd give some updates on said thoughts and situations.

1. Ryan secured plane tickets for both me and Sydney for NYC; thank heavens for credit card points that can be turned into airline miles! Sydney does not know we're going yet, but I think she knows that something is up since I keep buying her warm clothes and I promised to take her boot shopping soon.

2. The morning sickness if FINALLY letting up a bit. As predicted, it hit a peak (and it was bad), but has since begun to fade. Thank goodness, because I think my family is tired of grilled cheese sandwiches and as the only food that has sounded good to me for the last two months, I'm pretty tired of them, too.

3. The car shopping is set for Saturday. Ryan has been getting e-mail quotes and has negotiated a bit with a few dealers on-line. Meanwhile, I'm still trying to get over the "I can't believe I'm getting a mini-van" feeling.

4. I had car problems today and I didn't cry! This is a huge step for me, especially with the raging pregnancy hormones. After doing some volunteer work at church, I noticed that I had a flat tire. One of the church maintenance men changed it for me and found a nail in the flat one. Guess Ryan is taking a trip to the tire store tonight whether he wants to or not.

5. My left hamstring muscle and right bi-cep muscle are killing me thanks to the Wii. Who knew you had to warm-up before playing that thing?

6. The gymnastics Gap Moms are still annoying me. Granted, there has been less sashaying by the pink shirt Gap Mom, but their conversations (which I can't help but overhear half the time since the parent holding section is not that big), both annoy me and crack me up. Yesterday, pink shirt Gap Mom was upset because her cleaning lady, who apparently spends two full days a week at her house, had the gall to schedule her vacation for the two weeks leading up to and including Christmas. Pink shirt Gap Mom wanted to know just who was going to not only clean her house and do her laundry, but wrap her Christmas gifts and bake her Christmas cookies. Ummmm, hello? Get off your rear end and do it yourself, you lazy woman!

Anyway, that about wraps up my updates. If I think of any more, I'll post them tomorrow, the last day (!) of NaBloPoMo.

Christmas gifts

I've read probably ten blog posts in the last week or two regarding gift giving at Christmas. While many people like to be surprised by what others give them for Christmas, others prefer to hand out lists of wants to avoid the inevitable tacky sweater or umpteenth lavender scented candle.

We do it both ways in our house. While Ryan and I don't get each other gifts, we do provide a (very short) list of wants to my family and they reciprocate. There's not a whole lot of surprise come Christmas morning, but we're happy with our presents and there are no fake smiles to be seen.

However, we do not provide a list to Ryan's family; they just don't work that way. We are always surprised by what they give us. There have been good surprises: barbecue pit, fuzzy bathrobe, princess tea set. And there have been fake smile surprises: water pik, fuzzy socks (they were really nice, but I just don't like socks), books with a religious theme (of a religion we don't belong to).

So how about you? Do you provide a list of wants or are you surprised by your gifts? What's the best surprise gift you've received? The worst?

They Hate Me

I am convinced that my kids hate me. They are conspiring against me and they're only four and one. I can't imagine what it's going be like when there are three of them.

As Ryan can attest, I am not a morning person. Plain and simple. While I prefer nine hours of sleep, I can live with eight hours in order to function the next day. And now that I've been taking my morning sickness cocktail, half of which is a sleeping pill, I REALLY need eight hours so that I'm not staggering around in a stupor for several hours in the morning.

Well, my son decided to wake up at 5:30 this morning. Ryan gave him his bottle and we expected him to fall back asleep as usual. Nope. The boy was up for the day. And not only was he awake, he was jumping up and down in his crib. Did I mention that his crib is still one foot from our bed? And it has squeaky springs?

So Ryan got up to get ready for work and Sydney decided that 6:15 would be her wake up time this morning. And since today is one of Ryan's "early days" at work (get there early, leave kinda early), I had to get up. Grogginess and crankiness ensued for a good two hours. Frankly, Sydney is lucky that she got to go to school.

I seriously think the two of them have some kind of secret kid language and they spent the better portion of yesterday evening planning this. And tonight I'm going to keep them in separate rooms all evening so that they can't plan something even worse, like replacing my stash of chocolate with carob or something equally nasty.

Christmas in New York

Ryan's job is sending him to NYC in December rather than (or in addition to) January. If he gets the flights that he's requested (and he usually does), then he's going to book the plane tickets for me and Sydney tomorrow. So Sydney will get to see NYC at Christmastime. I can't wait to see her face light up!

Plus, some friends of ours who have a daughter a little bit younger than Sydney will be in NYC at the same time. We're hoping to get tickets to go see the Rockettes Christmas show with them. Sydney is going to be so excited.

Keep your fingers crossed!

Car Talk

This weekend we're set to go car (or should I say mini-van/3rd row SUV) shopping. The last time I did this, I was fresh out of college and took my dad with me so that he could do the negotiating. The last time Ryan did this, he was fresh out of college and bought his truck from a former client who just happened to be a manager at a car dealership.

So, basically, I have no idea of how to negotiate for a car. I really wish that Saturn had a vehicle that we were happier with (and prices that were a tad more reasonable) because I really like the idea of not haggling. Confrontation is not easy for me and I just know that I will fold early and then be angry later for not fighting harder.

Thoughts? How do you stay strong when facing a fast-talking salesman who, by the way, doesn't really care that a huge car note will force us to eat nothing but macaroni and cheese and beans and rice for the next few years?

As payment for your advice, I leave you with this website. Simply type in the name of a store that you like and it will give you a list of online coupon codes. I used it today for The Children's Place and got a load of warm clothes for Sydney for under $40 (tax and shipping included).

Weak

We are so weak. The Wii has been set up and played. It's awesome.

In all fairness, though, it is cold and rainy, our satellite has been out and Sydney can only write so many letters to Santa (and Santa can only afford so much).

And Ryan and I don't get each other Christmas gifts anyway. So an early "Merry Christmas" to us.

Wii, Wii, Wii, All the Way Home

We got a Wii!

Ryan got up at 3:30 am to head to Best Buy for the 5 am opening. We drove by there last night on our way home from our two Thanksgiving meals and there were already 50 or so people camped out in front of the store. When he got there this morning, the line was so long he was standing in the grass along the street. And, as it turns out, they didn't have any Wii's anyway.

So he drove over to Circuit City and they didn't have any, either. Neither did Target. The last hope was Game Stop where Ryan was the 6th person in line for their 7 am opening. They had 35 Wii's!

We are now the proud owners of a Wii. Now if we can just control ourselves long enough to not play with it until Christmas!

Thankful Day Four

I am thankful for:

1. my bed and the beautiful and warm quilt my mom made to go on it
2. my grandmother's cornbread dressing - yum
3. new recipes that turn out great
4. elastic-waist pants
5. toys that don't play music/make noise
6. cooler weather that actually makes it feel like autumn
7. chocolate
8. cocoa with marshmallows
9. the guy at Best Buy who calls me whenever a shipment of Wii's is delivered
10. a husband who is willing to get up at 4 am to go to Best Buy on Black Friday to get a Wii since I can never seem to get there before all of them are sold
11. children who sleep through the night
12. shortcuts around the freeways that are always under construction
13. movies that crack me up (like "Dodgeball")
14. sippy cups with straws
15. the morning sickness "cocktail" (half a sleeping pill and 50 mg of B6 right before bed)
16. credit card points that can be turned into plane tickets
17. a nice, cold glass of white wine (a distant memory, but I can still be thankful, right?)
18. Caller ID
19. the nice neighbor who took in the sick neighborhood stray cat
20. all of my blogging friends

How about you?

Thankful Day Three

I am thankful for two things in today's post: food and health.

Although the morning sickness is preventing me from enjoying food these days, I am still thankful that we have it. We live in a very urban area and we have our share of homeless people hanging out on nearby street corners. Every time I see a homeless person holding up a sign asking for help because they are hungry, I say a little prayer for them and thank God that I have plenty to eat. And tonight, as I was putting away our dinner's leftovers, I had a hard time fitting it all in the refrigerator due to the abundance of Thanksgiving goodies. How many people in this world would LOVE to have this problem?

I am also thankful for not only my health, but that of my family and friends. Neither of our children has battled anything worse than a cold/ear infection and other than my OB visits, Ryan and I rarely have the need to see a doctor. Our families and friends have had some minor medical scares, but nothing catastrophic or life threatening and for that, I am truly thankful.

It's amazing how thankful I am for the most basic needs. Who needs a ton of material things when you've got the love of a fantastic family, food and your health?

Thankful Day Two

I am thankful for my children, all three of them. Three - wow! It still feels strange to think I have (or will in a few months) three kids!

Some days they make me want to tear my hair out. But most days, they make me laugh until I cry. They are the last thing on my mind before I fall asleep at night and the first thing on my mind when I wake up in the morning. They are the true lights of our lives and I could never imagine loving anyone as much as I love those little people who look just like me and Ryan.

Sydney is our girly-girl princess. She would wear pink everyday of the week if she could and insists on wearing a dress to school if it's a rainy day because she "won't play outside and get it dirty." She loves reading and making up stories. Granted, most of them involve a prince and a wedding, but she is quite creative. She is our eager-to-please firstborn and loves her baby brother like nobody's business.

Liam is our little man. He likes to holler to get his point across and amazes us everyday with his new skills. He loves to jump and climb and I just know that one day his little daredevil ways are going to give me a heart attack, but his sweet smiles more than make up for his mischievousness. He gives hugs and kisses without discrimination and adores his big sister more than life itself.

Our newest blessing, while a surprise, is no less loved than the other two. We can't wait to meet this little person in May and add him/her to our family. Ryan and I are going to be two of the most tired people on the planet, but we'll two of the happiest people on the planet, too.

I thank God every day for my kids.

So why are you thankful for your kids (or nieces and nephews)?

Thankful Day One

Seeing as it's Thanksgiving week and I've been pretty negative lately due to morning sickness, I've decided that this week's posts will be dedicated to the things I'm thankful for. Today's topic: my husband.

I am so thankful for my husband. We've known each other since the fourth grade, have been together for 11 years and married for almost seven of those years. He knows me better than anyone and I am convinced that there is no other man on this planet who would put up with me for as long as he has.

He is very patient and does not have a temper and let's just say that we are polar opposites when it comes to those two personality traits. We rarely argue and although he claims that is because he can't win arguments with me and doesn't even try anymore, I think it's because we just don't have a lot to argue about. We share similar interests, we finish each other's sentences and we have about a million private jokes. It's kind of scary, actually.

He is a wonderful father. Both Sydney and Liam light up when he gets home from work. He gives them their baths every evening and plays with them until they go to bed. He is Sydney's hero (as he should be) and will be an excellent example for Liam as he (Liam) grows into a man and has a family of his own.

As much as I complain about him (and to him), I am very thankful he's my husband. He truly is my lobster (private joke).

Ugh.

It's been a bad day. I'm hitting the peak of morning sickness; at least I hope it's the peak, because I seriously can't imagine it getting any worse.

Any mention of food makes me nauseous. Sitting up makes me nauseous. Brushing my teeth makes me nauseous. And that's not good because after all the sickness, my teeth need to be brushed. Often.

Thank goodness Ryan is taking this week off of work. Poor Liam and Sydney need someone capable of preparing their food.

I just hope it begins to fade by Thursday. If I can't eat all of the historically yummy Thanksgiving food I'm going to be one sad lady.

Oh No!

One of the places that I wanted to take Sydney to when we go to NYC in January (fingers crossed) is Serendipity 3. Ryan and I went there a couple of years ago with our friends, Stacey and Shiran, when we spent our 5th anniversary in Manhattan. It's a pretty famous place with awesome frozen hot chocolate and I know that she would love to go there.

Unfortunately, I saw this article. I'm sure Serendipity 3 will be open again by the time we get there, but do I really want to take her there?

Yikes!!

More Proof I'm a Geek

Thank you to everyone who reminded me that I, not the pediatrician, am Liam's mother and that I know best. I guess I just needed to hear it from some outside sources (and Ryan is out of town, yet again) so "thank you".

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Neither of us feeling so great today, so I'll leave you with this site. Type in your ZIP code and find out all kinds of demographic information. If you're a total geek/nerd like me, you'll find it fascinating.

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And now I'm off to take a nap and pray that the nausea will leave me alone long enough to make it through the Thanksgiving Pow Wow at Sydney's school this afternoon.

Pediatrician's Advice

At what point do you stop listening to the pediatrician's advice and go with your gut?

With Sydney, we pretty much did everything the pediatrician told us to. We started her on solids at 4 months, had her off the bottle by 15 months, had her speech evaluated at 16 months since she wasn't talking, etc. With Liam, however, I just don't think I want to follow all of her guidelines.

She wants him to be off bottles and the pacifier by 15 months. He's down to two bottles a day (early morning and before bed), but that is the only liquid he gets during the day. He refuses to drink his milk (and it's milk, not formula) from his sippy cup. He'll drink water or very watered down juice, but not milk. He will only drink that from a bottle. So what am I supposed to do about that? Let him get dehydrated just so I can follow a recommendation?

As for the pacifier, the boy is attached to it. He uses it to help him fall asleep both at naps and at bedtime. He falls asleep by himself, no rocking or back-patting needed. He just needs that pacifier. And once he's asleep, it falls out and he actually spends most of his sleeping time without it. So will it really mess up his teeth if he continues to use it past 15 months?

So what do you do? Do you follow your pediatrician's advice or go with your gut? And what do you think I should do? You'd think I would have the hang of this whole parenting thing the second time around, but apparently not!

Baby Info

Thanks for all of the congratulations, everyone! We are very excited and still a bit overwhelmed by it all, but we'll manage. I was especially glad to hear that Jess experienced similar emotions when she found out she was expecting Baby #2 (also due in May 2008). Whew! I'm not alone!

Anyway, the point of this post is to answer all of the inevitable questions you probably have. Here goes:

1. When am I due? Officially, May 29th, but it will be earlier due to a repeat c-section.
2. How am I feeling? Bleh. "Morning sickness" is a total misnomer, because for me, it lasts all day. Yuck. Fortunately, the exhaustion that comes along with the first trimester seems to be fading so that's a good thing.
3. How does this pregnancy compare to the other two? So far, pretty much the same. I was sick with both Sydney and Liam and if history repeats itself, the ickiness should subside in the next week or so.
4. When is the BIG ultrasound? Early January, but we're not finding out the gender of the baby this time around. We didn't find out with Sydney and it was hard, but a lot of fun.
5. Will we be having more kids? NO. Since this is a repeat c-section, it will be very easy for the doc to do a little tube tying after the baby is born. I love babies, but they're expensive and frankly, the idea of going through the extreme nausea stage again is quite frightening.
6. Are the kids excited? Sydney is very excited; she is convinced that she's going to get a baby sister this time around. Liam? Well, he's pretty much clueless.
7. Do we want a boy or a girl? Honestly, we don't care. A boy would be nice so that Liam could have a playmate close in age, but a girl would be great, too.
8. Do we have any names yet? Nope. We've been throwing a few around, but nothing has really hit us as THE NAME. We'll be keeping the name a surprise, too, but feel free to submit suggestions.

I can't think of any more possible questions, but if you have any more, feel free to leave them in the comments. After all, thanks to NaBloPoMo, I have to post every day this month and I'm running out of ideas!

Shock and Awe

Want to know the real reason why we're thinking of moving, looking at minivans and canceling our trip to Europe next summer?







That's right....we're having another baby!

We've known for a while, we were waiting for the magic 12 week point to start telling people (well, people we're not related to).

About a million emotions have been running through us the last couple of months. Here are just a few:

1. Surprise - After suffering with fertility issues with Liam, we honestly did not think this could happen without some kind of medical intervention. The doctor said that Liam apparently "cleared out the cobwebs" so to speak. We'd talked about about having a third child at some point (like in 2-3 years), but next May was nowhere on our radar.
2. Fear - How am I going to handle three children, two of whom are only 18 months apart? The diapers, the tantrums, the crying.....
3. Guilt -
Part A - I feel like we've cheated Liam out of his babyhood. Sydney had us all to herself for 3.5 years and now, not only will Liam never get us to himself, he has to share his baby years with another baby.
Part B - We have several friends (both in real life and online) who are currently struggling with fertility issues. My heart aches for them, having been through issues of our own. I remember how much I disliked hearing about people who had such an easy time having a baby and I'm afraid of what our friends might be feeling about our situation.
4. Happiness - A baby is always a blessing even if the timing is not what we expected. I can't wait to smell those newborn smells and kiss tiny little newborn feet.

So, there's our news. I'm sure news of a minivan and a new house will follow in the next few months. Wish us luck!!

Legalized Torture

Who chooses to be phlebotomist? Seriously. Why would you choose legalized torture for your profession?

Today was Liam's 12 month checkup. He's reached all of the required milestones and his height puts him between the 25th and 50th percentiles, but the poor little guy still doesn't weigh 20 pounds. I guess he'll be facing backward in the car for another month or two. Sigh.

He got four shots and although I was wary about the MMR and all of the recent media coverage possibly linking it to autism, I went ahead and consented to it. I think I've read two dozen articles on the topic and none of them directly link the two. Sometimes I think the media just likes to blow things out of proportion.

As for the phlebotomist, poor Liam was sent for a blood draw to check for lead levels and anemia (this was after the four shots). The lady tied the rubber band thingy on his arm and tried for a good three or four minutes to find his vein. Then she stuck him and fished around for a while to find it. His arm was turning purple, he was screaming his head off and I was close to tears myself. She sent in another tech to try his other arm. The second lady managed to find his vein within 30 seconds and didn't have to fish around to get the needle in. Two vials of blood and neon orange bandages later, it was all done and poor Liam clung to me as if his life depended on it. Thank goodness the lab requires a second phlebotomist to draw the blood if the first can't find a vein. We'd still be there if it weren't for their lab protocol.

Anyway, it's all over. He's taking a much needed nap and I'm still trying to recover from all of the drama. Maybe a bowl of ice cream will help.

I'm Not a Cool Parent...Surprise, Surprise

This whole NaBloPoMo thing is getting pretty tough. So, I'm going to cheat and do another Blogthing.

I feel pretty good about this one....I know these little quizzes are cheesy, but this one made me feel a little better about my skills as a parent.

You Will Not Be a Cool Parent

And that's pretty okay. While your kids may not think of you as a friend, they will respect you. You know that kids need discipline and structure, and you're not afraid to give it to them. Just be careful that your strictness doesn't lead to rebellion. It's good to have standards and rules, but you don't need to have an iron fist when enforcing them.

Would You Be a Cool Parent?

What kind of parent are you?

Cake Pictures!

Liam's party was a success. All of the food was yummy, the kids had fun playing and Liam had a good time. He was a little overwhelmed when everyone was singing "Happy Birthday" to him and got a little upset when he would open a gift (usually a toy) and then had it taken away just so he could open another one. I can't blame him on that one.

So here are the cake pictures from our sweet boy's first birthday party:


The choo-choo cupcake cake before we dug into it.


Liam putting the whole cupcake in his mouth (cousin Jacob is quite interested, as you can see).


Yummmm........


All gone....we think he enjoyed it so much he wanted another one.

It was a great party, but now we're all tired. Both kiddos are in their respective beds asleep and now I'm off to bed, too....night, all.

The Birthday Boy

One year ago at this exact moment (1 pm), Liam was born. He entered the world screaming his little head off. He was a tiny thing, only 5 pounds, 11 ounces and became one of the brightest lights in our lives. He is a sweet boy and I'm not biased because everyone who meets or takes care of him says so, too. His smiles light up rooms. His laughter can make the grumpiest mommy smile. He crawls up to me and gives me hugs for no reason whatsoever.

So, "Happy Birthday", my sweet boy. We've loved watching you grow and can't wait to see what you'll surprise us with next.

The past year in pictorial review......


Liam at two minutes old.


One of my favorites....Liam in my stocking.


Smiling....his favorite thing.


But he can be serious, too.


We call this the "Hugh Hefner" look. And he's quite the little lover boy....always hanging on the girls at playgroup.


Here he is at one year old. Still bald, but all smiles.

Love you, buddy! Happy Birthday!

Tomorrow: first birthday cake pictures.

Traveling with Kids

A big thank you to Tien for all of the fabulous ideas of things to do with Sydney while we're in NYC! And thank you to Sherri for scouting out the place for us (and for posting a comment!). I'm going to have quite a list built up and the new challenge will be to fit it all (or at least a lot of it) in.

I did find some good sites for traveling with children when researching our not-to-be trip to Europe that was planned for next summer. If you're planning on traveling with kids in the near future, you've got to visit Travel for Kids. It gives lots of great ideas for just about any place in the world you could possibly visit. And as a former teacher, I love that it gives you suggestions for books to buy/check out from the library to acquaint your child(ren) with your vacation spot. It was this site that helped us decide to go to Scotland and even though we're not going next summer, we WILL go at some point.

Anyway, anybody planning any trips or vacations? I love to hear about other people's vacations. (I'm one of those weird people who genuinely likes looking at other people's vacation pictures and hearing travel stories)

NYC Ideas

Wow! So everyone thinks that not only should I go to NYC with Ryan on his next trip, but we should take Sydney as well. I really do think she'd enjoy it, even if she and I are within inches of strangling each other by the end of the week.

Hopefully we'll be able to pull it off financially. After all, we've been saving our credit card points so that we could cash them in for plane tickets for our long-awaited trip to Europe next summer. Unfortunately, for many reasons, that trip will not be happening so we might as well use them for this trip. And the hotel will be free since Ryan's work will be picking up the tab on that one. So, really, food and entertainment will be our only expenses.

So now I need a list of things she and I can do together. I previously mentioned that she'd most likely enjoy skating at Rockefeller Center, going to FAO Schwartz and the American Girl Doll store and seeing the animals at the Central Park Zoo. She'd also love seeing the castle in Central Park.

Any other ideas for a 4 1/2 year old girl?

To Go or Not to Go

Ryan's job has him traveling to NYC for a week at a time every couple of months or so. He's been twice now and although I know he is working pretty much non-stop the entire time he's there, I can't help but get a little jealous. I've been to NYC several times and I love it there. I love the hustle and bustle of the streets. I love the tranquility of Central Park. I love trying out the various foods offered by the street vendors. I love the endless possibilities for entertainment.

He'll probably be going back in January and I'm trying to decide whether I should join him or not. If I go, then Sydney will have to miss a week of school so that she and Liam can stay with my parents out in the 'burbs. Of course, we could always take her with us. After all, she's in pre-school and it's not like missing a week will go on any kind of attendance record. Plus, she's never been on a plane before and I think she'd love NYC: ice skating in Rockefeller Center, FAO Schwartz, the American Girl Doll store, Central Park Zoo and let's not forget, we may even see snow if we go in January. She's only seen snow once and I doubt she remembers it.

What do you think? Should I go along? Should we take Sydney, too?

Horrible Mom

I'm a horrible mom. Just horrible. Poor Liam is getting the short end of the stick when it comes to birthday party planning.

His first birthday is Friday (can you believe he's already one?!?) and we're just now pulling all the party plans together. And sadly, we're only putting about a third of the effort we put into Sydney's first birthday into Liam's big day.

For Sydney's first b-day, we held a crawfish boil and invited about 30 people to join us in the celebration. Ryan labored over the crawfish (several hours of prep and cook time) and I made the side dishes, made a homemade birthday cake and hung decorations everywhere. We had everything planned down to the last detail a good three weeks before the event. Everything went off without a hitch, except that the cake I made melted in the humidity and looked absolutely horrible, hence my vow to never make another birthday cake as long as I lived.

For Liam's first b-day, we're having barbecue (since crawfish are out of season) and inviting about 20 people to join us. Ryan is going to be buying the already prepared barbecue from a local restaurant and I'm going to make the sides. I ordered Liam's cupcake-cake today and while I have balloons to hang for decoration, I have no "goody bags" prepared for our tiny guests. And I'm not going to prepare goody bags, either, because if their parents are like me, they don't want a bag full of trinkety crap to bring home from yet another party.

I feel so bad that we're not putting in as much effort into Liam's party. I wonder if it's truly "second child syndrome" or if we've just gotten lazy over the past few years.

Probably a little bit of both.

I'm a Brownie!

I'm totally copping out of the challenge today, but I'm tired and have nothing profound to say (like I have anything profound to say, right?), so I'll leave you with the following:

You Are a Brownie

Decadent and intense, you aren't for the weakhearted. Those who can deal with your strong flavor find out how sweet you really are.

What Dessert Are You Most Like?

What kind of dessert are you?

Happiness

OK, I'm back to my happy self. Ryan got home late last night and for the first time in a week, I finally slept well. Amazing how a good night's sleep (and a warm body sleeping next to you) can improve your mood!

And, my best friend from high school got married this evening. The ceremony was lovely and she looked absolutely amazing in her wedding dress. Sydney came with us to the ceremony and oohed and aahed over the dresses and flowers. She is such a little girl. I can already see her planning her own wedding in her head.

The reception was lots of fun, too. Liam joined us for some yummy food (the boy is a bottomless pit, I tell you) and delicious cake. At least the groom's cake was yummy. It was chocolate so of course that's the one I had to try. Sydney seemed to enjoy the bride's cake so I'm assuming it was just as scrumptious.

So congrats to my friend, Amanda. All your planning paid off. Your day turned out beautifully, just as you deserved. We wish you all the happiness in the world. (Not that you'll actually read this post any time soon since you're off on your honeymoon) :) But still, congrats!

Sadness

I think sadness has been the dominant emotion in my life the last few days. It doesn't help that Ryan is in NYC and I am lonely with very few adults to to talk to. I guess I never realized how much I needed the couple of hours in between Ryan getting home from work and the kids going to bed. It's my decompression time. We eat dinner together and discuss our days and then he gives the kids their baths while I clean up the dinner dishes. I've been doing it all alone with only a 30 minute conversation with Ryan each evening after the kids go to bed. I can't wait for him to come home tonight.

Another source of sadness is this little girl. Baby Grace has been the lead story every evening on the local news; I really should know better than to watch the news before I go to bed. I can't stand hearing about children getting hurt.

My last source of sadness is something Sydney said to me yesterday. She's gotten the hang of what it means to have her feelings hurt and how to hurt other people's feelings. When Ryan called on Tuesday, she refused to talk to him even when I told her it was hurting his feelings. And yesterday, after two timeouts (for arguing) and an open-ended moratorium on desserts since she has not been eating her lunch at school, she told me, "You're not invited to my birthday party. Only Daddy can come."

Oomph. I got hit with the four year old's equivalent to, "I hate you." I'm sure it's just the tip of the iceberg and it is making me totally dread her teenage years. I'm sensing that we've a got a rocky 14 years ahead of us. Yikes.

Anyway, Liam and I hosted playgroup today and I got in a good two hours of adult interaction (oh, and he got to interact with some other babies, too) so I'm feeling a bit better. Can you imagine how ecstatic I'm going to be when Ryan gets home late this evening?

NaBloPoMo, Men Who Cook, and Liam

Today is the first day of NaBloPoMo and I decided to give it a whirl this year. In case you haven't heard, NaBloPoMo stands for National Blog Posting Month, which means I will (attempt to) post every day in November. I can't promise that every post will be interesting, but I'm going to give it a shot.

Today is also National Men Make Dinner Day. Too bad Ryan is in NYC this week, otherwise I could totally get into this. I'd make Liam do it, but considering his idea of a meal is whatever he can pick up off the rug, I think I'll pass.

Speaking of Liam, he now has two teeth. Two, tiny teeth. And a ton of drool. I can't wait for those other 14 to come in. I see lots of baby acetaminophen and teething tablets in our future.

We think he's also said his first word. Of course it wasn't "mama" and it wasn't even "dada." His first word was "up." He says "up" for everything: when he wants to be picked up, when he wants more food, when he wants the toy Sydney is playing with, etc. I was a little sad that his first word wasn't "mama", but at least it wasn't "dada." Sorry, Ryan, but Sydney said "dada" before "mama" and it's MY turn this time around.

Anyway, I'm hoping to get into the groove of this NaBloPoMo thing as the month goes on....stay tuned!