Just in time for Daylight Savings...

Matthias, my second child, Matt, wait wait let me put a photo just so we all know who I'm talking about, no confusion...


This child.

Slept until 7:56 am. Seriously. James even said to me, "I tried to get Matt up to play with me, but he wouldn't. I turned on the light. I made noises."

Mornings have been getting a lot later recently...like 6 to 6:30, but whoa. He has never slept that late in his life believe me.

And on Tuesday when he had woken up at 5:30 he fell asleep on the way home from the gas station (4 blocks) and when we got home he walked into his room, changed into his pajamas and said "I'm cold and tired. I wanna take a nap." At 11:00 am. He was not sick (and still isn't). He's finally decided to value his sleep...and mine. Too bad 6:30 will again be 5:30 in a couple days...

Trick or Treat

The boys and I fully made Halloween Sugar Cookies while listening to Christmas music. I almost pulled out the wrong cookie cutters...if you look close you can see our trick for Taylor.

Lasik

This post is long overdue, but I thought I would mention that I finally got lasik on 09/09/09. I planned it that way. Too bad there is no 20th month...

Anyway, I have been really hesitant because I didn't want to be blind (even though there aren't any recorded cases of blindness from Lasik that I have been able to find) and I didn't want dry eyes for the rest of my life. But Taylor has been hassling me for years so I researched back in like April. Then ignored it. Then researched some more. Then decided to just do it and get it over with. Great attitude I know.

I went with my eye doctor's recommendations. I have no idea if his rates were even competitive, but he is one of the best out there, helped design the latest laser to be FDA approved, has done like a million lasik surgeries, started in like 1980s, etc.

My one promise I extracted from Taylor was that if I were to end up blind he tell me that Hannah's hair came in a golden blond color regardless of actual facts.

At first I didn't really notice much since I always wear contacts. Everything just seemed the same, I would go to take my contacts out or try to put my glasses on when I woke up. I even felt like I couldn't see in the middle of the night. For a couple weeks I seriously forgot to wash my face at night because my whole bedtime routine was thrown for a loop (and I am a routine person, to put it mildly).

One night I cried because I missed my fuzzy world I got to retreat to every night. It was like an escape from reality when I just took out my contacts and became disconnected with everything.

But now I am totally used to it. I take it almost completely for granted. Except for the occasional "WOW" moment I don't even think about it. At all. After less than two months of 20/15 vision...going from 20/800 which started when I was 8. I don't even remember being able to see before this and now I don't even think about the miracle that is my perfect vision. It's crazy. I am also actually now +1 in my left eye so I'm far sighted. Ha, ha. So far I haven't even noticed except if I try to read something like 2 inches from my face, then I can't focus.

One last note...I used to have nightmares that my contacts broke in my eye or they were super huge and I couldn't put them in. Or other weird things like that. Now I have dreams that everything is fuzzy...it looks just like how I saw the world prior to 9/9. And it scares me. Then I remember I really can see. Phew. How was I so blind for so long!?!

Growing and Learning

Today within the space of two hours Hannah began scooting across the floor while sitting up (it's really funny to watch), saying uh oh, she also signed 'light' for the first time and 'more' for like the second or third time. All within two hours! I am so glad I get to stay home with my kids and be with them everyday. I love watching them grow and spending our moments together. I would be so sad to miss out on our time with each other.

(sadly we were out of batteries in the camera so none of this is documented!)

Bath Time!

I would like to say that I do realize I blog almost exclusively about Hannah these days, but she does change the most.

Anyways...my better signing techniques are already paying off. I can tell she understands several of the signs. Also on Friday I read her a book before nap time about a baby who takes a bath. Then I changed her diaper and she was all happy, but as soon as I started putting her diaper and pants back on she started screaming. Then once I had her pants back on she got really angry and totally signed "bath". It was pretty hilarious. I was like, you aren't having a bath right now it's nap time, we just read a book about baths. But she kept crying and signing so of course I gave in because she's the princess so she got a bath. Plus she needed some positive reinforcement for her skills, right? I'm telling you she is really obsessed with baths.



(those empty bath crayons she's holding are like her favorite toy in the world, so maybe she would want less baths if she could play with those outside the tub.)

James Speak Today (or was it 10 years from now?)

This morning...

Taylor: You need to get up and get ready for preschool.
James: Let me wake up slow.
Taylor: You don't have time.
James: Just five more minutes.



Our new cell phones arrived in the mail today...

James: When we're like 13 or 14 can we have our own little phones?

Hannah's First Word (proceeded by a looong explanation)

Baby signing is such an amazing thing I have been really trying with Hannah to start her early. We did a very small amount of signing with Matthias and it was wonderful to be able to communicate with him very simply at 9-10 months old. Especially after James did not speak a word until age two...signing would have been very useful with him, but I was as yet unfamiliar with current baby/parenting trends so we were just frustrated for two years.

Anyway, I took a Signing Smart class when Hannah was 7 weeks old and was all ready to have her signing by age 6 months. But when I finally pulled out the book yesterday to figure out why she still couldn't sign at 8 months I found out I had been doing everything wrong. Guess I should have read the book a few months ago...

What I realized a couple weeks ago though was that I sign to Hannah, yet when she wants something she looks me in the eye and says "AHHHHH!". But she makes sure she has my attention, concentration can be seen in her eye, and then "AHHH!". I observed to Taylor, "It's like she can't figure out what I'm doing with my hands. She can tell we communicate with sound so she attempts to do the same, completely ignoring whatever the heck Mom is doing with her hands all the time."

Well within the first 5 pages of reading I find out I have to do specific things for my baby to realize that signing has meaning and power in her world. Oops. Guess that's why she ignores my signing and copies my talking. So we are starting anew this week following all instructions and hoping to get some signing.

But being more tuned into Hannah and her communication led me to discover she can talk! Ok, so she only says one word, but she has for a couple weeks now and I just noticed it. (for those of you rolling your eyes, I really think babies understand way more than we think. way more. and they can indeed communicate at very early ages.)

Soooo, the story is Hannah LOVES taking a bath. Loves it. Whenever I take her to the bath I always say "Bath time!" while signing bath. She always gets really excited, but today I was looking (and hoping) for a sign and instead I got, "ba, ba, ba!" What? Then thinking back I realize she has been doing this the last several baths, maybe 5 or 6. She says "ba, ba, ba" when we walk in the bathroom and then when she is in the tub. I know it is a fairly regular baby sound, she does say it occasionally at other times (mostly she just screeches at other times though...as anyone who has had a 6-13 month old can attest), but she always says it when it's bath time. She knows.

So it's official. Hannah's first word is bath! She may not be as physically advanced as the boys were at her age, but she understands the communication thing and can say one word. I guess that's boys versus girls, huh?

The Challenge Is Met

Hannah can inchworm. Backwards. About 1/2 a foot.

Technically fulfilling the requirements set for the challenge...

Fall Celebration

Today James had no preschool (P/T conferences this week??) so we planned a huge Fall Celebration. Started off preparing some applesauce for the crock pot...it's stewing away and smells wonderful.

Next up, spiders. For Halloween of course. We sang Itsy Bitsy, read Anansi the Spider, and made paper spiders which we hung from the ceiling in the basement. Which led to the great idea of making a Haunted House, but that was later.

After spiders we made cinnamon muffins in Halloween muffin papers for snack time. Delicious. Mmmm.

Then off to the pond (don't want my boys getting nature deficit disorder). Today is a lovely fall day. Lovely. 61 degrees out, sunny, beautiful. Watched ducks for 15 minutes. Collected sticks, feathers. Found the 'river' that empties into the pond, raced sticks down the river, built a damn. Followed the river to it's origins. Collected rocks, large branches. Headed home.



After lunch the Haunted House was put into action. Ghosts and spider hanging from the ceiling, glowing pumpkins, lego monsters, spooky bats. Very terrifying. All set for when Dad arrives home to scare him silly.

Boys get in wrestling match over Matt pulling down a ghost. When finished and both are crying Mom set one on the couch, one on the floor with pillows and blankets. "Now don't go to sleep, but rest just for 5 minutes so you're ready for the movie." 2 minutes later everyone is sleeping peacefully. Mom is picking out her new phone.

One hour until we eat that yummy applesauce and then leave to meet friends for Where The Wild Things Are.

A perfect Fall Celebration.


(no, Hannah cannot crawl. or move.)

My Job Replacement

James: Mom, how could you grow up and not be anything?

(long pause)

Me: What? You think I don't do anything?
James: Like a submarine driver or something.
Me: I'm a mom. I stay home with you. What would you do if I was gone all day?
James: I would wash Matt. And Hannah's bed would be full of water.
Me: What would you eat? Who would feed you?
James: Sugar. I would give Hannah a pile of sugar.


Nice to know if I ever leave the house my younger children would be in James' capable hands.

'Tis the Season

The boys and I have been singing Primary Christmas songs together for weeks learning the words and tunes. A few days ago the boys requested the Little People Nativity come out.

But this morning we listened to Little Drummer Boy by Josh Groban. Shhh, don't tell Taylor.

Amazing Grace

Check out my sister in law's newly released cd.

You could really help her out by posting her widget to your side bar for a couple days! You can just click "SHARE" on my widget or find it on her home page with really easy copy instructions for adding it to your sidebar. Thanks!

The Challenge:

Learn to crawl by the end of this week. October 16 by the latest. Any form of movement will be accepted as meeting the challenge, even purposeful backward motion. Both the boys crawled 2 months earlier than this and I'm just saying Hannah would probably have a lot more fun if she could get around...and we're all about fun here!



(also, in all fairness I should mention that I have two fridges and a full extra freezer. this goes a long way in facilitating the two times a month shopping. we go through about 5-6 milks, 4-5 yogurt packs, 2-3 dozen eggs every two weeks. plus over a month of frozen baby food, almost 50 lbs of venison, homemade bread (2-6 loaves in the freezer), etc. without two fridges and the extra freezer this would not work. due to renting we have the extra fridge, neighbors gave us the freezer.)

All this for $96.23

Okay so I didn't take a picture of my groceries, but boy did I get a lot of stuff and it only cost me $96.23. Best part being it will feed my family happily and healthily for 2 whole weeks! Because I loathe visiting the grocery store. Every since becoming pregnant with Hannah grocery shopping was no longer a great thing to fill my time, it became a burden and a stressful event. Only to get worse and worse. I actually haven't taken my children grocery shopping for almost a year now and it's heaven. Also I decided I really dislike grocery shopping.

While we were in college I loved going to the store each week because James and I then had something to do for an hour and also I could spend $40 without feeling bad at all.

But now it is just a chore I do not enjoy. So we backed off to 2 trips a month and it has been wonderful! I can almost always find milk that will last to my two week mark, but occasionally we do have to make a random stop for a gallon of milk and some bananas. You can find lots of produce that last two weeks...the first week after grocery shopping we're eating grapes, bananas, asparagus, etc. The second week squashes, apples, carrots. Love shopping twice a month.

And a little secret that may cause me to be branded with blasphemy, but I hate couponing. Hate it. I can rarely find coupons for anything we eat other than cereal (and recently yogurt), plus I like to shop in 45 minutes or less which really makes coupons hard when you only have 1.5 hours a month. But really it's because I spend approximately 35% of our grocery bill on produce and 30% on dairy. Both of which don't seem to have a lot of coupons. (if you have ever see a produce coupon please send it on to me, I might make an exception just once.) We rarely use condiments, I do not use boxes unless it is cake. Period.

Some are happy to coupon and I am happy to never set foot in a store.