Baby Shoes! Give Peace a Chance!

It seems that Nicholas needs a little pair of baby shoes so that his sweet, itty-bitty socks will stay on.  Again, this whole having a newborn during the fall/winter months is throwing me off!  I've had my eye on these for quite some time.  How cute are these Robeez?  Something tells me that Josh would prefer the sporty Robeez, rather than the hippy Robeez.  (Check out the links.) Or, maybe he won't even notice? I highly doubt it!  : ) I can't get anything past Josh...  And, really I should just go to Walmart and buy Mr. Nick a knock-off brand for the time being.  The purpose of the shoes is really just to keep the socks on, right?  But my goodness!  They are soooo cute!!

Enjoying our company!

Obviously, things have been busy this week!  We're learning how to adjust to two babies now, how to deal with a sleep shortage, and how to get daily chores completed around the house while squeezing in naps.  Even though we have a lot to learn and a lot of adjusting to do; we couldn't be happier.  Michael loves his brother so much.  The crying seems to bother him a little bit, and he frequently tells the baby (in a sweet voice), "Too noisy, Baby! Too noisy!"  He does worry about the baby when he cries, though.  He's such a sweetheart....

Josh is an awesome father, and he loves to cuddle Nicholas. Josh will often take over the "shushing" duty after I nurse Nicholas.  

Cousin Amanda came over to meet Nicholas with Mango the other day.  She did a fantastic job holding Nicholas!  And, Michael was SO HAPPY with the paper, crayons, and coloring book that she gave him.  Michael worked on his writing ALL day yesterday with that paper!  : ) 

And, now some pictures of some very, very special visitors!  Grandma and Pap-Pap!!

Grandma and Pap-Pap also came over this week to meet their newest Great Grandson.  I think both of them fell in love instantly.  Pap- Pap said that he is a "fine baby boy."  And, Grandma was actually speechless for a moment or two.  I am so incredibly thankful that our  children know three of my four grandparents.  

What a tremendous blessing it was, to be able to introduce our baby to his Great Grandparents on such a beautiful fall day!

Hall of Famer!

"Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way."

Satchel Paige

Josh was inducted into the hall of fame last evening for his contributions to CC basketball, tennis, and cross country. Michael and I were so proud of him, and were so thankful to attend the presentation last evening. Unfortunately, I only took a few pictures and they certainly aren't spectacular. I did video tape the presentation, and all of Michael's questions related to the hall of fame.

Two of the most influential people in Josh's life, his former basketball coach and former tennis coach, were on the field for the ceremony. I know how much it meant to Josh to spend the evening with both of those coaches. The last few years of high school were certainly far from easy and far from care-free for Josh. Both of those men played a significant role in helping Josh to excel in the face of adversity. Josh is truly an amazing individual; so strong and determined. And, certainly a hall of famer in my mind.

What football does to a man...

Can you say comatose?  Rendered speechless?  Zoned out?  

And furthermore, why does it start at such a young age?

In a little bit we're heading over to Carrie and Jason's to watch the "Skins" play.  I'm wondering if Michael will choose to watch the game or play with the other kids!  (I'm thinking and HOPING that he will want to play and will be totally oblivious to the game. ) We'll see, though!  

I'm just about as happy is Josh every Sunday during the fall, since the SEASON PREMIERE of DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES is this evening!!!  And, SISTER AND BROTHERS!  I've been waiting for this Sunday to come for soooo long!  : ) 

We've got an exciting week ahead, so stay tuned for updates.  Josh is going to be inducted to the Hall of Fame on Friday night for our high school. I can't wait to see how Michael will react, I just know that he's going to be so proud of his dad!  As ready as I am to have this baby, I kind of hope that the baby waits until the football game is over Friday evening....I'm going to be completely thrown off my game if this baby decides to arrive before the tenth of October.  Completely.  

What dreams may come...

Michael's house, where he is the host of many, many parties! Only sweets are served at these parties, by the way.

"Children's games are hardly games. Children are never more serious than when they play."

Montaigne, Essays

Over the past few weeks I have noticed this tremendous change in Michael's imagination. It's truly incredible to observe and participate in his imaginative play. On the days that he spends with the sitter, Michael and the other children play "house" all day long with blankets, rugs, pillows, and whatever else they can get their hands on to create these elaborate homes. Thankfully, the sitter loves this type of play as much as Josh and I do. Michael does this at home, as well. Our dining room table is frequently turned into a home for his "babies": Moo, Giraffe, and Puppy. (Creative names, eh?!)

This morning we spent the majority of our time playing and walking at the park. Michael brought his babies, Moo and Giraffe along for the adventure. The babies were thrown in the grass at times, but they were also taken up and down the slides and the climbing walls. At times, we had to stop and feed the babies after Michael found the appropriate food source for the babies. (Mulch just wouldn't cut it, his babies eat grass and drink water.)

When we got home, Michael and I enjoyed our lunch at the dining room table, while we discussed the party that he was going to host in his tent. I put his tent up in his room last Thursday, and naturally it has become Michael's home where he hosts these incredibly elaborate parties and serves his guests lots and lots of junk food. Last evening, I heard him talking to his animals about Hershey Kisses, and I began to wonder where on Earth he found all of these "Kisses." I realized after he brought one to me, as I was cooking, that they were imaginary kisses, and that there wasn't this hidden stash in his room. : )

Josh and I enjoyed the parties that Michael hosted last evening, and thankfully Josh video taped a large portion of our play time. Michael baked us cookies, cakes, cup cakes, and brownies. We also made pudding together. Obviously, this boy is dreaming of sweet treats, since his mother doesn't bake for him nearly enough! And, we most certainly enjoyed the company of his friends, Moo, Giraffe, and Puppy. It is such a gift to be invited into Michael B's world, and to watch him change right before our eyes on a daily basis.

I found this article to be quite interesting in regards to imaginary play:

"Most of your child's make-believe games will not require you to participate (or even listen). Indeed, it will probably expand your child's imagination more if you allow her to make up her own scenarios rather than offering your input. Let your preschooler create her own private world. If your child invites you to play a role, by all means join in. But take the role assigned to you and let your child control the unfolding of the plot.

Imaginative play also can help your preschooler sort out various anxieties or cope with approaching (or past) events that worry her. You may notice your child playing a lot of doctor games leading up to (or following) a stay in the hospital, for example. Or she may play more at being a parent in the wake of a new baby's arrival."

- From the FamilyEducation.com website

Lining up cars....What else is new?!?!? : )

Michael's ice cream parlour at the park. Here he is serving me vanilla and chocolate ice cream. Yummy!

As he was doing this with the stuffed animals in his hands, I thought to myself...Josh is going to kill me if he falls and breaks an arm because of carrying these things up the climbing wall! He made it safely to the top, just like I thought he would.

Taking a nap with his babies. This was towards the end of our visit. He was really ready for his nap this afternoon!

I'm so glad we took advantage of this beautiful day. It looks like it is going to be rainy and chilly over the next few days.

Dry heaving...

The conclusion to the previous post:

Obviously, Michael needed to use the restroom at the cross country meet.  It didn't seem "appropriate" to take him to the bushes, so Josh reluctantly took him into a Johnny Blue for the first time.  I refused. (I'm pregnant and all, and subject to vomiting at the drop of a hat. How I love playing the pregnancy card!)  

As soon as Josh and Michael got into the Johnny Blue, Josh clearly and firmly told Michael to keep his hands to himself.  And, sure enough Michael reached out for the urinal. And, even rubbed his hand in it!!!  (EWWWWW!!!!) Josh wasn't fast enough to grab his hand!  (EWWWW!!!)

By the time the two of them got out of the Johnny Blue, they were both greatly stressed.  It was hysterical.  Michael was horrified by the conditions of the Johnny Blue.  (Truly, he was sickened!) As Josh and I were dousing him in purell and putting on his shoes, Michael stated that, "We need to buy them water, Mom. The potty did not have any water, Mom.  Why it not have water, Mom?"  

Towards the end of our excursion, Josh declared that he needed to use the restroom before we began the journey home.  Michael announced that he would NOT be going back in "one of those things."  He was pretty much traumatized.  Thank goodness for Josh that day because I would have marched Michael over to the woods if I were by myself in that situation!  Taking a child to a public restroom is bad enough, but a Johnny Blue is just unacceptable in my mind.

Never in my life, did I think that I would be writing about the adventures in a Johnny Blue!  I just hope this is the last time... Josh and I sure did have a good laugh about it, though.  

While we were at the meet, Michael made "hay bales" for his cow, Moo.  Thankfully, we talked him down from bringing all that grass in the car.  I really thought he was going to have a temper tantrum when we told him that the hay bale needed to stay in the field.  

For old time's sake...

On Saturday morning Josh decided to drag Michael and me to a cross country invitational. We started out for this adventure around 9:30 on Saturday morning, which would put us at the meet shortly after the start of the first JV race. However, we we were delayed for about ten minutes in the driveway, so that Josh could check the stove. (He made pancakes for Michael earlier in the morning and couldn't remember if he turned the stove off.) Then Josh had the foresight to make sure that Michael used the restroom before heading to the meet. (I'm really thankful for all that Josh is doing for us right now, he's truly a fantastic dad and husband.)Finally, we were on our way! Except, for the fact that Michael decided about ten minutes down the highway that he needed to have a "bm". So we turned around and ran into Michael and Mary Jane's for another restroom break. (Hehehe!) : ) By this point, it was after ten am. We decided to go to the meet anyway, though.

The cross country meet was held on the grounds of this amazing, restored plantation. The views were gorgeous, and would have been even more beautiful if I wasn't suffering from this blasted rib pain. There were so many pictures that I would have loved to have taken of Michael, but "someone else" was the center of my attention that morning. We parked pretty far away from the course, and had to trek across a pasture to get to the meet. The meet was by far the largest cross country meet I've ever been to. Music was blaring from these enormous speakers (good running tunes!), the finish line was awesome (it reminded of a marathon), and of course there were runners all over the place! When we finally got to the finish line, Michael and I plopped overselves down on the ground. (Note the above picture of the two of us...) I think that we were the only people sitting at this meet besides the senior citizens. The seniors had chairs, while we didn't even bring a blanket! : )

Josh eventually made the two of us get up, so that we could see the start of the JV "A" race. It was incredible to see the number of races; there were a few JV races and then a few V races. The meet was an all day event. Our high school was well represented in both varsity races. We didn't get to watch our varsity "A" teams because Michael and I were spent, after walking around in a field for a few hours.

Josh dealt with the whining quite nicely. I'd love to smack my whiny self some days, but he's pretty tolerant. I have another really funny story to go along with all of this, so I'll work on typing it out this afternoon. Stay tuned. I'll leave you hanging by saying that it was a "first" for our little Michael B. Here's a photo that will give you a clue.... Hehehe... Please note Josh's body language...

For all the Tech fans, especially Uncle Clay and Granddad:.

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE WIN!!!  

It seems that our son is definitely "a boy".  He has a few favorite articles of clothing:  a basketball shirt, a soccer shirt, two pairs of "basketball shorts", a green and grey outfit from Gap, and his VT outfit.  If any of these articles of clothing are clean, Michael refuses to wear anything else.  He can't stand his church clothes.  (Can't stand them! )  The funny thing is that Josh was complaining at the beginning of the summer that Michael's wardrobe was "too preppy" and that he needed more t-shirts and more "gym/basketball" shorts, of course I disagreed.   I happen to like the $3.49 shirts from Target, thank you very much!  It turns out that Josh knew exactly what Michael was missing because Josh picked out all of the favorite outfits, except for the VT garb!  (Guess I need some lessons on picking out clothes for little boys.)

Our weekend was quite uneventful.  We spent a large amount of time at home, getting ready for this baby and staying COOL.  The three of us cleaned out the garage yesterday, which was an absolute mess!  And, we had a "family movie night" last evening.  Michael loves "family movie nights"!  The four (including Duncan as one of the 4) of us lay down in the living room, eat popcorn, and watch a family movie.  Josh and I are amazed that Michael is now able to sit through a whole movie.  

Last evening I noticed that the ice maker stopped making ice, and I literally flipped out.  I REALLY NEED ice! AT ALL TIMES!  (Lots and LOTS of ice!)  After mass and breakfast with Michael and Mary Jane, I called Sears and scheduled an appointment for someone to come out here to check out the ice maker.  (Wish I was kidding, but I'm not...) Josh fussed at me for calling because I didn't even give him the chance to troubleshoot.  He took the phone from me because he knew that the next person on my list to call was our friend, Jason.  Unfortunately, Jason was in PA last evening and got back today.   It turns out that Josh fixed the problem in less than an hour.  I definitely overreacted a bit, but like I said...I really, really need ICE these days.  (It's like, right up there with the air conditioning.)  And, I do realize that are such things as TRAYS for ice, but I just really cherish the ice maker.  (I don't have to wait for the ice to freeze. And, I'm lazy! )

More to come tomorrow:  37 week appointment update!!!

The joys of having a child who is potty trained.

Josh isn't feeling well, which is a real bummer. I hate it when Josh is sick because he does so much for our family. And, when he's sick I really miss his humor and child rearing support. This morning we all headed out by 9:30, so that Josh could have some beach time before the men's USA/Argentina basketball game. Michael and I decided to head down the beach for a walk while Josh was resting on the blanket. Unfortunately, we didn't make it back from the walk in time to give Josh a get well hug and kiss before he headed back to the house.

Michael and I made the best of our time on the beach together, though. We decided to dig a hole for his trucks and cars, and we had a lovely little snack on the blanket. I was a rotten mom and let Michael drink a little bottle of gatorade (at least it wasn't Coke!) during our snack. Obviously, I did not consider the repercussions of letting Michael drink an entire bottle of gatorade. The result of the gatorade, was that the poor kid had to pee about a half an hour later. At this point, I wasn't ready to head back to the house or to make the trek to the swimming pool. So, I told him he would have to go in the ocean. He said in an excited and joyous tone, "OKAY, MOM!!!" And, then started to pull down his pants. (Not good.) So, I glanced around and carried him over to the sand dunes, where things were a little less obvious. Michael loves to urinate outside, so he was totally happy with this proposition! Wouldn't you know it, another twenty minutes pass by and he has to pee again! I thought he was bluffing, so I made him pack up all of his beach toys. He said he still had to go, so we headed right back to the dunes. : ) And, he really did have to go, poor little guy.

After we got all packed up, Michael and I carried (actually, I carried) our entire beach camp back to the golf cart. What a load that was! The entire time I was thinking, you know...when I was pregnant with my first no one would let me carry as much as a laundry basket of clothes. The second time around: I'm carrying three beach chairs, a cooler, a bag of beach toys, a bag of towels, and making sure that the three year old is following me. Things CHANGE for the second pregnancy, don't they? : ) I'm not complaining, in fact I'd much rather be a pack mule than a fragile little doll, any day. Honestly, I would. It's just funny how things change, isn't it? I wonder what life will be like when I'm pregnant with our fifth or sixth baby?

I shudder to think about such things...

He thinks he can walk on water.

I don't even know where to begin writing about our day, especially when the post begins with a picture of Josh walking on water!  What else is there to say, other than we're on vacation and having so much fun together!  

Here's an update, though:

The water is incredibly rough today.  In fact, there is a rip tide warning issued for the next three days, which is a little scary.  It is also incredibly windy on the beach.  Our beach blanket was completely covered in sand because of the wind.  And, it is virtually impossible to use the umbrella today, without taking the risk of impaling a fellow beach goer. Even though the wind is strong and the waves are scary, we were able to spend all morning and a good part of the afternoon on the beach.  The wind makes the beach feel like the perfect temperature!  It was a little overcast as well, so we didn't feel like the sun was beating on our skin.  Josh and Michael are in charge of snacks for the beach, so we were stocked with plenty of food to get us past lunch time.  : )  

Michael still has a cold, but he's such a trooper.  The cold hasn't slowed him down at all, thank goodness!  His little nose is so red from wiping and the sand, but he hasn't complained one time about his nose hurting.  Yesterday Josh and Michael took a little break from the beach and headed to the aquarium.  They enjoyed roaming around together and checking out the sharks.  We also went out to "dinner"  yesterday afternoon (3pm), so that we could enjoy the evening hours on the beach. 

The evening on the beach was just lovely, aside from nearly being attacked by seagulls!  The family right beside our special "spot" decided to give their children bread to feed the gulls.  And, much to our dismay, the children threw the bread in our direction.  Josh and I were furious, in fact I was muttering many cuss words (even the f word!) under my breath as the gulls fought three feet above my head.  It was a fun time!  : ) These friendly neighbors also had an umbrella up yesterday that almost hit me.  The mother seemed a little annoyed that I didn't chase after it into the dunes.  At eight months pregnant, the only thing I chase after is Michael, and on occasion...Duncan.  (The wind was strong yesterday, as well.)  My temper isn't the same these days, so after the sea gull attack I was ready to shoot our beach neighbors a few looks.  The parents didn't think anything of the attack, though.  In fact, it was a great "photo op"!  

Since we weren't physically injured, Josh and I have been laughing about that experience all day.  We just might bring out a little bread ourselves this evening....; ) 

More pictures to come later.  There are too many to post, I'm afraid.  

Will Faye Turn the Other Way?

We can't help it. Josh and I have our eyes set on what Hurricane Faye is going to do in the next few days.  Yesterday it looked like Faye would be heading straight up the east coast, giving us a good dousing of rain on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  (Lovely.)  However, there is a "chance" that Faye will hit the western side of Fl's coast.  I presume that this would be good news for us?  Josh says that we're leaving early, if the hurricane decides to head this way.  I told him that we would do no such thing.  (Guess who the driver is, though? Guess who wears the pants in family? ---Josh. and, Josh.) 

All the hurricane talk aside, today is a sunny, hot, beautiful day at the beach.  It's actually amazing how crowded the development is for the week.  I don't think we've ever seen such a huge crowd here.  When we got down to the beach this morning, Josh made us walk SO FAR, so that we could be away from the crowd.  I was so ticked that he was making Michael and me walk a half a mile down the beach for a "special uncrowded spot".  (I am eight months pregnant, after all.)  About forty-five minutes into sitting on the beach, I was singing Josh's praises.  : ) The area in front of our development was PACKED with families, which would have made it difficult to keep a close eye on Michael B.  I guess most people took advantage of the lower rates for this week, and since most schools haven't started back; this is a great family beach week.  I did tell Josh that even though his "ideas" irritate me at times, I was very happy with the spot he found us this morning. Though, it was reminiscent of a "Griswald" family vacation moment.  You know, the dad, hauling the family down the beach to find the perfect location.  

We spent all morning outside, playing in the sand, waves, and the pool.  Michael continues to enjoy every minute of playing on the beach.  He absolutely loves to "play cars" in the sand, which gives Josh and me plenty of time to read on the beach.  I've already finished one book and I'm now working on another.  I love having my nose in a good book at the beach!  

After the rascal wakes from his nap, we're heading back out for more time on the beach! 

Stay tuned for Faye updates...Oh, and pictures, too!

All Set!

Michael and I spent most of the day packing, so that we can leave at a reasonable time tomorrow morning. We're leaving a day early and driving a little over half way, which should help both Michael and me tremendously. Our journey on Saturday is only going to be an hour or two, which means we should get to the beach a couple hours before check in. Josh and I are planning on heading straight to the beach! We are ready to relax and enjoy one another for a one last "family of three" vacation.

It's amazing how much easier it is to pack for a three year old, rather than a six week old! The first time we took Michael to the beach, I think we packed the whole house. And, good grief , were we stressed! : ) This year--just a few outfits, sun block, underwear, pull ups, and a few sand toys. (Easy!) Stay tuned for beach updates. Josh may feel the need to post a time or two. : ) Remember last year's post: Josh Types Puters? (It was very, very sweet. Warmed my heart.)