Fair Game

I loaded up the kids this morning and joined some friends for a trip to the Indiana State Fair. I haven't been to a state fair since I was a junior in high school, and I have to admit that I recall the motivation for the visit was to gawk at all the rednecks. But it was a beautiful day here, and I knew the boys would get a kick out of the animals, so off we went.

And I was right, they did love the animals. Connor was especially taken with these baby chicks, and Casey was greatly impressed with the World's Largest Pig (to which he exclaimed, "That's the biggest pig I've ever seen!" as though he's spent a lifetime on a farm caring for livestock). As you can tell from the photo, the aroma of the fair animals offended Casey's delicate palate, and Connor hardly seemed to notice.

Casey's other favorite part of the fair? The rides. I cracked up at how serious they were riding these motorcycles - it was as though they had suddenly become junior members of the Hell's Angels. Fair rides are serious business, folks.

And of course, we indulged in some fair food. A pork tenderloin sandwich for me and a massive corndog for the boys. Riley had mashed pears, but I noticed when we got home that she still managed to somehow smell like a BBQ sandwich. All in all a good day, and I was so busy watching the kids that I barely noticed the rednecks.

Four

Guess who's four today?

Nope, not this guy. This guy:

Yep, today is Casey's 4th birthday, and I know I say this every time someone around here celebrates a milestone, but he seems so big. Like such a big kid all the sudden. Like a BOY. Almost all traces of baby are gone from him, and he's a boy. Sigh.

He started his day with chocolate chip pancakes, had pigs in a blanket for lunch, and now hopefully we'll all survive the day to make it out for ice cream this evening.

And if you looked at the picture of Connor and thought, "Gee, it looks like Jen put his PJs on backwards", then you thought correctly. And no, I wasn't half in the bag last night when I got him ready for bed. It is now the only way to keep his clothes on at night. So, thankfully, there's still enough baby going on around here to keep me from getting too misty-eyed over Casey's continued journey into boyhood.

Crashed

Last week our external hard drive mysteriously bit the dust, and took along with it the vast majority of our family photos & important documents from the past 2 years. There was a bit of miscommunication between Rob & I regarding the purpose of the external hard drive, and I think somehow we both thought that the back-up fairies were taking care of everything and making sure that our precious files were safe from destruction, but we were wrong. Now we are sending the drive off to a data recovery company and for a sum they will attempt to recover the lost data. If I told you the fee for the recovery it would cause you to shriek in horror, so suffice it to say that if the drive didn't contain every photo of Connor's first year of life that would otherwise be lost forever, we wouldn't bother. All I can say now is this: Back Up. Back Up. Back EVERYTHING up as though your life depended on it.

Promotion

While googling myself the other day (oh, like you've never done it), I made an interesting discovery. Apparently during the past 4 sleep deprived years, I found time to get a PhD in organic chemistry, as evidenced by my listing as a member of the Louisville Society of Coatings Technology. Wow, and I was just proud of myself for getting my teeth brushed before noon. http://www.lsct.org/membership.htm

Might be time to update the member list, folks. Just sayin' .

Career Path

Casey announced at the lunch table that when he grows up he'd like to be a pirate. Or a rock star. Or a pirate rock star. Which has me fearing that he's destined to be the next Keith Richards. And I'm sure somewhere Keith's mother is quite proud of him. However,

I've seen Keith Richards in concert recently, and I think I'd rather if Casey's future didn't involve him stumbling around stage, mumbling incoherently, and chain smoking while playing "Jumping Jack Flash" for the 12,457th time.

Me Connor. Me Eat Blueberry Muffins.

Brothers

The lovefest between the boys and Riley continues, and they really dote on their little sister. Casey loves to make her smile, and is so proud of himself when she does ("Mommy! The baby smiled at me!!!"). Even Connor, who was slow to warm up to her, likes to help out with her, and hates when she cries ("Bebe cry, Momma!").
We've all been pitching in on the effort to get her to take a bottle, and it's been a battle. It seems like she wants to drink from the bottle, but for some reason can't get the hang of it, gets frustrated, and pushes it away. I feel sorry for her, she has developed no ability to self-soothe, and nursing is the only way to calm her when she's upset. I tried to let her "cry-it-out" a few times to get her to sleep, and she just cries and cries. When I go to retrieve her, she has tears running down her little cheeks and it breaks my heart. I don't think I have the emotional fortitude to try "Tough Love" with her, as has been suggested by the pediatrician and others. This being said, I am desperate for a little "me" time, and at this rate she might be in college before I get any.

Deceptively Cute

Hi. I keep my Mom up all night and refuse to take a bottle. Pacifier? No, thank you. I'd rather scream.

What? You don't believe someone this cute could cause so much trouble? You don't think I'm serious?

Believe me now?

Sushi for Beginners

I recently had an overwhelming craving for sushi, and seeing as how; a) I don't have anyone to go eat sushi with, and; b) I'm not nearly crazy enough to attempt to take all 3 of my kids to a sushi restaurant, I decided to try and make some myself. I bought a bamboo mat and nori (the seaweed outer wrap) at the grocery store and dug out an old article from Cooking Light that I had saved. I made these very basic California rolls with carrots, cucumber, and avocado, and they were pretty durn good. Next time I'll try to not get so heavy handed with the rice, but on the whole they were pretty easy and pretty tasty.

Nannie Camp 08!

We had a great time in AL last week. Highlights included a visit to the zoo and meeting Connor's primate cousin (a little monkey who climbed and jumped like crazy for our attention while his poor parents were slumped over napping in a corner), Grandaddy teaching Casey to "grip it & rip it" on the golf course & then taking him for a special lunch at McDonald's, watching (3 innings) of a Montgomery Biscuits baseball game, and lots of swimming while wearing their new pool shoes. Even Riley got in on the pool action for a few minutes. The 10 hour drive was a drag, but we came home better rested than when we left, and Casey keeps asking when we're going back.

Easily Amused

I know that a mature woman wouldn't still be giggling at how the top item from my Michael's receipt reads, but obviously I am not a mature woman.

Me Connor. Me Eat Yogurt.

Summertime Rules

We've had a very long weekend, and so for today I decided we would just take it easy and do whatever the kids wanted. Except all they wanted to do was beach out in front of the tv. Usually, especially in the winter, I might have let it slide for one day and given in to their desire to completely veg out, but since it is beautiful here and I spent the majority of the past two days in the van and a funeral home I thought we should get outside. I haven't quite worked up the courage to take them all to the pool by myself, so I hauled out the trusty sprinkler and let them have some fun.

Casey jumped right in,

but Connor wasn't sure so his brother helped him...

He wasn't convinced so he happily played in his clubhouse,
while Casey continued to enjoy the sprinkler action!

Together, Tomorrow

"I don't like to say goodbye,

I don't want today to end.

But we will be happy together tomorrow,

Together tomorrow again.

Together tomorrow, together tomorrow my friend.

We will be happy together tomorrow,

Together tomorrow again.

You may walk a rocky road.

My road may twist and bend.

We'll share all our stories when we get together,

Together tomorrow again.

Together tomorrow, together tomorrow my friend.

We'll share all our stories when we get together,

Together tomorrow again.

Every day must pass away,

Never to come again.

Tonight when I'm sleeping I'll dream of us being

Together tomorrow again.

Together tomorrow, together tomorrow my friend.

Tonight when I'm sleeping I'll dream of us being

Together tomorrow again.

Together tomorrow, together tomorrow my friend.

Tonight when I'm sleeping I'll dream of us being

Together tomorrow again."

"Together, Tomorrow" by Tom Chapin

David P. Schneider

1964-2008

School's Out!

I find it very hard to believe that today was the last day of Casey's first year of preschool. They celebrated with a Songfest where we were treated to them all singing hits such as "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "I'm a Nut". He's grown so much since he started last fall - physically and in lots of other ways too. For instance, when he started school he couldn't dress himself or pick out his clothes, but he did both this morning. Although after further examination of this photo, perhaps we were better off when he wasn't quite so independent.

Morning Coffee 2.0

The fact that I love (and also survive by drinking) a good cup of coffee in the morning is no secret - the title of this blog is not a random choice. And a special treat for myself is to occasionally stop by Starbucks on the way to dropping Casey off at preschool and order a grande non-fat latte with a packet of Splenda. Ahhh, the modern Mom's answer to Calgon ("Starbucks, take me away!"). So to make my indugence a little extra special I made myself a cup sleeve out of some of the leftover fabric from Riley's room. I made a few of these as gifts for Christmas, but hadn't gotten around to making one for myself until now. I even jazzed mine up by hand embroidering my initial, as machine embroidery still confuses and confounds me (although I've had my eye on this bad-boy that I think would help). I suppose this is also a "green" project as it probably saves .000001% of a tree by me not taking the sleeve that Starbucks provides. See, I am environmentally friendly. Yay, me.

Fabric Finally and More Patience, Please

The fabric for Baby Shiny's room that I have been patiently waiting on finally arrived yesterday. OK, maybe not so much "patiently waiting" as much as boring every poor soul in earshot about the saga of my missing nursery fabric and how UPS was engaged in a great conspiracy against me. I ordered the fabric from ebay, but PayPal (also involved in the great conspiracy against me) sent the seller the wrong shipping address, and the fabric was delivered to our old house in Louisville, and then UPS sent it back to New York before they accepted the interception request and finally sent it on to me. I'm sure after reading this abbreviated version you are so wishing you had been within earshot to receive the daily updates of the saga over the past two and a half weeks - "Yesterday it was in Lexington, but today it's in Parsipanny, NJ!". Fascinating.

Anywhoo, I'm all ready to get going on the window treatments, painting, and other assorted projects I have planned for the very girly nursery for my very girly little girl (which virtually guarantees that she will be a hard-core tomboy). All of this on top of the basement finishing project scheduled to begin next week, and landscaping also on tap for next week. I think all this distraction is actually good for me because it allows me to forget how tired I am. At 3:30am this morning while nursing Riley for what seemed like the 100th time of the night, I calculated that I have spent 45 of the past 48 months either pregnant or nursing. Yikes! No wonder there are days I walk around here like a giant raw nerve with a ponytail, snapping at anyone in my path and not acting at all like the Patient Mom I strive to be, forcing Casey to ask, "Mommy, why are you so fusterated?". I want to be all zen and calm and constantly nurturing, but there are days where having spent the vast majority of the past 4 years attached to a little person takes it's toll on me, and in my weakened state I give in to the overwhelming desire to just be grumpy.

Patience, or lack thereof, seems to be a common theme around here lately. I suppose that is what I should ask for as my Mother's Day gift. More patience. And maybe a nap.

All Dressed Up

I found this pattern for a baby dress on the internet and had some scraps left over from another project, so I decided to give it a go. Thanks to the assistance of Mom's sewing machine (which I am currently borrowing to make some projects for Riley's room) it was pretty easy to put together and I had the bulk of it done during a nap time. Some of the detail is obscured by her extra chins, but really, how cute is she? I love this chubby baby stage - probably the only time in your life when someone can remark, "Look at those fat little legs!" and mean it as a compliment.

I'm telling you folks, this little girl stuff is alot of fun. You know, when she's not screaming or nursing endlessly or driving me insane from sleep deprivation. And even when she's doing all those things she is completely adorable and I continue be smitten with her - especially when she's wearing a pink dress.

I Am Tiger Woods

He might not be quite ready for the Tour just yet, but with his new clubs & bag he certainly looks ready to play. I showed him the basics and tried to give him a very basic explanation of the game, but he wanted to play a version where we chased each other to see who could get to the ball and whack it first. So, lots of practice ahead, but maybe someday we'll watch him shrug on the green jacket at Augusta. And personally, I think in addition to his traditional red shirt on Sunday, Tiger should consider adding a policeman's badge sticker to his wardrobe. It adds gravitas, don't you think?

Me Connor. Me Eat Dirt.

Brown Eyed Girl

Looks like Riley inherited her Daddy's big brown eyes. After the surprise of both boys having blue eyes, I think we were expecting this little one to have them as well, but genetics is a funny thing. We've been hearing mixed opinions about who she looks like - some say Rob, some say me. Right now I just think she looks awfully darn cute.

Fierce!

As a Project Runway fan, I couldn't help cracking up at this SNL skit. Amy Poehler kills me!

Resistance is Futile

Must resist urge to purchase completely ridiculous foot ware for baby daughter, no matter how cute.

Gone, Daddy Gone

Daddy's on-call. Pizza & ice cream were served for dinner. Baths will not be administered, teeth will not be brushed. Mommy will keep a grip on her sanity.

That "New Washer Smell"

So, we continue to sink deeper into this suburban life, as evidenced by how we chose to spend some of our tax refund this year. When we bought our first house in 1998, we inherited the washer and dryer that existed in the house, and at the time we were delighted to have them. It didn't matter that the set was roughly about the same age as we were, only that they worked (and belonged only to us!). The dryer kicked the bucket within the first year, but the washer survived another nine years and two moves. Actually, it was still working as of this weekend, but it sounded like it was going to lift off out of the laundry room every time we ran it, and it didn't always do the best job cleaning our clothes. Sometimes after a load of towels I would find it had walked a good two feet away from the wall, and I was becoming concerned it would eventually just walk out the door and down the street. So we went to Lowes last week and purchased the top of the line Whirlpool front-loader washer. This thing is supposed to be able to handle 16 pairs of jeans in one load (although I would like to meet the family who is washing 16 pairs of jeans at once and offer them my sincerest sympathy) and has a special steam setting that will remove stains without any pre-treatment. We had a little mishap on the first load - we never really had to separate colors in the old washer because I suppose it wasn't strong enough to really cause any of the colors to run. Rob tossed a pair of Riley's purple pants in with all of her other clothes, and it turned the entire load a bluish-grey and mysteriously turned all her spit-up stains bright blue. After that everything turned out great - all stains were removed and our whites were whiter than before. One of the best features is that it is so quiet while it is running Ani can go in the laundry room and eat & drink - the old machine made so much noise I think she was afraid it was going to eat her.

My, my, how things change. There was a time when we spent our tax refund on season tickets for football and massive quantities of beer. Sadly, I'm not bothered by this. You can laugh at me all you want at my excitement over a new clothes washer, but you'll be doing it in dirtier clothes than mine.

Funny Kid

If "the first cut is the deepest", then perhaps it should be said that "the second cut is the crappiest". Poor Connor. We took the boys on Saturday to get haircuts, and with an hour & a half combined sleep the night prior between the two of us, we were not on our "A" game. Which I guess explains why we both sat there slack-jawed as the hair dresser continued to chop away at his little head like she was auditioning for some local production of "Sweeney Todd". Connor has a beautiful, enviably thick head of hair, and you have to be careful to not take too much off the top or as a result he will end up looking like an extra from a Flock of Seagulls video. I assure you that this photo is no exaggeration, this is not bed-head. It sticks up all over the top of his head like this all the time, and because the rest of his hair is laying flat almost looks as if he is wearing a bad toupee. Fortunately, his hair grows fast and so this 'do will not last long, and in the meantime we kinda' feel like it fits him, much like the chipped front tooth he acquired falling in the bathtub the night before I had Riley. He does drive us all nuts with his antics, but he also has me doubled over in laughter on a daily basis. He's just a funny kid. And now he's a funny kid with a (temporarily) funny haircut.

Things have been a little busy around here. Actually, to say that things have been "a little busy" is sort of like saying Elliot Spitzer is in "a little trouble". A typical morning looks like this:

Wake Up

Change a baby

Feed a baby

Put one baby down, pick another up

Change a baby

Feed a baby

Hand out cups of milk

Kiss a boo-boo

Help #1 get dressed

Change a baby

Find a binky

Get van warmed up

Put all three in the van

Drop off #1 at preschool

Feed a baby

Change a baby

Feed myself

Search for binky

Lay one baby down for a nap, pick the other one up

Feed a baby

Change a baby

Give a baby a bath

Bathe myself (on a good day)

Wake a baby up

Put babies in the van

Pick up #1 from school

Last week was my first week by myself with all 3 kids and no additional help, and although I felt completely overwhelmed a good portion of the time, we survived. Everyday we get a little bit more settled into a routine, and I can see the light of spring and better weather ahead soon.

One slightly less chaotic time during our day is bathtime. On a good night the boys will agree to a bubble bath together, and will play without bloodshed in our big tub. Riley seems to enjoy her bath time as well, as she spends most of her bath calmly staring at herself in the mirror. I love the time between their baths and bedtime. Everyone smells good and clean, and there is some sense of accomplishment that we made it through another day together. I'm trying very hard to cherish these days when they are all so small instead of focusing on how tired I am or how crazy they are making me at any given moment. So things may be a little busy right now, but they are only little for a short time, so I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

Ikea Coming!

Cecily over at Dandelion Jelly made me aware that Ikea is coming to the Cincinnatti area in March, making it the closest Ikea to me by a long shot (only 98 miles away!). I love Ikea, but have never been in a store and have previously been reduced to ordering from the catalog. This limits the selection pretty severely. I've been thinking alot lately about decorating the nursery for Riley, and I love some of the new fabrics and designs I see on Ikea's website, but frustratingly enough you can't order any of the things I like online - they're only available in the store. Christa, looks like we may have to plan to meet there sometime in the near future (opens Mar 12).

On a Sling and a Prayer

A few weeks before Riley was born I made a fabric sling to carry the new baby around in. I experimented with the sling when Connor was a newborn, but the one I made then was poorly constructed and too small, so he only fit in it for a little window of time. However, I liked the hands-free carrying option, and my babies are always too small to fit in the Baby Bjorn right away.
You can tell from the fabric I chose (an Amy Butler pattern - in flannel!) that I was hoping "girl" when thinking about the new baby. Baby Shiny snuggled right in her pouch and napped while I was able to play with the boys and get a thawed casserole in the oven for dinner. I highly recommend the sling for anyone with a new baby who has to simultaneously chase other small children. There are all kinds of articles out on the web about the benefits of "baby wearing", but all I care about is having a fighting chance at keeping everyone reasonably happy around here, and the sling (and some prayers!) definately help that cause.

Shiny = Happy People

Happy happy

Put it in your heart

Where tomorrow shines

Gold and silver shine

Shiny happy people holding hands

Shiny happy people laughing

-Shiny Happy People

R.E.M.

Riley Louise was born last week, and her arrival has certainly turned us all into shiny, happy people. Especially Casey, who continues to insist that her real name is Baby Shiny and her nickname is Riley. Aside from being irritated that we all keep getting her name wrong, Big Brother #1 is smitten with his baby sister, and loves to give her kisses and pat her belly when she cries. Big Brother #2, however, has taken every opportunity he's had to get close to her to try and whack her on the head. He doesn't know what she is, or why she's here, and he wants to know when she's leaving. I'm hoping with time he warms up to her. I hate the thought of them passing each other in the halls in high school and him giving her a good whack on the head.

We had a long and rather unpleasant delivery (as if any delivery can be described as "pleasant") but we were so relieved when she arrived healthy, and certainly surprised she was a girl. Already I have noticed that there is just something different about a baby girl as opposed to the two boys. There is already something softer and sweeter about her that I can't really describe, and like Casey her father & I are smitten with her as well. She's been battling some jaundice and currently resembles a large squash, but she is sweet all the same.

A new baby in the house, and a little girl to boot. We're all just so happy, happy.

Birth Day

So, tommorow is "B Day", the day we're going to the hospital to have Baby Shiny. I still haven't completely wrapped my brain around the idea that by this time tommorow we may know whether Shiny is a boy or girl, and as a result I don't feel particularly anxious or excited. Maybe I'm too focused on the fact that Connor has chosen this week to decide to stage an all out strike against his crib and climb out 50 times a night before finally conking out. He really has impeccable timing, truly.
Anyway, I made these shirts for all the kids - the fronts of the boys' shirts say "Big Brother" with their respective numbers, and the backs obviously have their nicknames - Slugger for Casey & Humpty for Connor.
My bag is all packed and ready for our 6:30am trip to the hospital, and I'm hoping for a good night's sleep for us all.

The First Cut is the Deepest

We finally gave in yesterday and took Connor for his first big boy haircut. I loved the "surfer dude" look he had been sporting, but it was getting in his eyes and on Thursday the nurses at my doctor's office mistook him for a little girl, so I relented. He was a little wiggly (as was to be expected) but overall he did great. He looks like such a big boy - I even got a little teary during the cut because it was as though he was transforming instantly from a baby to a little boy right in front of me. He seems to really like the "new 'do", and to be honest so do I. Just another item to add to the list of all the changes happening around here...

Waiting is the Hardest Part

There comes a point in every pregnancy when waiting on your new arrival becomes slow torture. I don't mean that in a, "Good Lord, will this thing ever be over??!!" way, although with all the ailments associated with the third trimester (plus all the complications I like to toss in there for good measure) there is a smidgen of those feelings. I find the torture is more about not being able to wait anymore to meet the little person who has been taking up residence in my body for so long. Is it a boy or girl? Will the baby look like me or Rob? Will it look like it's brothers? Will the baby be a good sleeper or a cranky mess (more importantly - will I be a cranky mess once it arrives??!!)? At 34 weeks, I have definitely reached this point. One of my girlfriends once commented that pregnancy lasts about a month too long, and since my kids typically come a month early I guess I should be in good shape, but this waiting is killing me all the same. Just three weeks to go...
I set up a little session this morning with Casey and these were the best of the bunch. I would love some with Connor as well, but at 16 months trying to handle him and an expensive camera on a tripod and get some decent photos is really asking too much. But since Casey showed up around 34 weeks, I guess it is fitting that we took these, just the two of us together. I know he's tired of the waiting game as well, this morning he asked, "But when is Baby Shiny going to be here? Will it be soon??". Soon enough, bud, soon enough.

28-24

I. Don't. Want. To. Talk. About. It.

Cabin Fever

I believe the combined effect of it being ridiculously cold here in Indy (causing me to use my Dad's phrases such as, "Colder than a well-digger's butt," which I have to admit I don't really understand, having never been a well-digger nor felt one's behind, but it seems to really capture the feeling of temperatures in the single digits) and me being on light bed rest has created true winter cabin fever in the boys. Casey has been out of school for holiday break, and we've mostly been cooped up here. In an effort to combat "the fever", Rob brought our old tent up from the basement and set it up in the family room so the boys could "camp" this weekend. By far the best part was the effect the static electricity in the tent had on Connor's hair, and it was alot of fun until it became a bit of a safety hazard when the boy's excitement levels escalated (which seems to be the direction most activities take in our house when both kids are involved. It's no wonder that Casey recently surprised us by randomly dropping the phrase "safety violation" in conversation.). Anyway, it was enough of a distraction to get us through the weekend and the UofL vs. UK game (Go Cards!), and with Casey back to school this week and temperatures warming a bit, I'm hopeful that we can keep cabin fever at bay for a bit.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

I hope that everyone had as merry a Christmas as we did here in the Alderman house. Casey said he received, "Everything I ever wanted!", so we deemed the day a success.

First Snow

I woke up on Wednesday morning at 7am to Casey prying open one of my eyes and asking, "Mommy, can you bundle me up so I can go play in the snow?". We received 4 inches on Wednesday and a few more Friday morning, and Casey played outside until I forced him to come in the house and warm up. Fortunately, he was content to run around the backyard by himself without a playmate, as I am not nearly as fond of the snow and Connor is just a smidge to little to get out there in it with him. My little Christmas elf was quite happy to stay inside and play.