Disturbing

Josh informed me that he uses the hand towel in the bathroom to clean off the toilet seat if he gets anything on it when he uses the bathroom. He neglected to mention exactly what he was getting on the seat. I neglected to ask. I am, however, now washing all the towels with color-safe bleach. Just in case.

Josh, it turns out, uses Scrubbing Bubbles flushable bathroom cleaning wipes to wipe himself after he poos. On the plus side, they are flushable while traditional baby wipes are not. On the minus side, they are not made for human skin while traditional baby wipes are. Being only 5-years-old, he apparently missed the small print on the side of the cannister indicating such.

Yesterday, we had a bird caught in the vent above the stove. At first, I assumed it was a mouse. While debating the mouse option, Jason suggested I turn the oven on. His thinking was that would either kill the mouse (not a scent I really would like for the kitchen) or scare it out. After thinking about it for while, I came to the conclusion that I might pee in my pants if the thing had run out in front of me. Country girl I am not.

Michael, on his potty training hiatus, has become obsessed with poo. He wants to see his poo when I change his diaper and Ben's poo when I change Ben's diaper. He also was fascinated when the neighbor's dog went poo and afterward kept circling the dog to try to get a look at where the dog's poo came out. The dog just wanted to lick Michael's face. I was rooting for the dog.

Confessions

1. The first few times I flew, I was greatly disappointed that I could not see state lines or state names like in the cartoons from the air.

2. Much of my knowledge of classical music comes from Bug Bunny cartoons. Rabbit of Seville, anyone?

3. When I was a kid, I used to climb on the counter in the bathroom to get in the medicine cabinet and eat children's Tylenol.

4. Growing up, I thought that being a stay-at-home mom was the easy option (except for my mom who was very ill most of my life). Now that I am a mom, I realize there are no easy options for moms. It is rewarding to be a mom, yes. But hard no matter what choices you make.

5. I have Democratic tendencies.

6. For much of my teenage life, I thought French kissing was what Gomez and Morticia Addams did - he started kissing her on her hand all the way up her arm to her neck while speaking in French. As you can imagine, I was in for a bit of shock.

7. My brother and I used to tell my sister, the youngest, that there had been a baby born before, Bob, who had died. Oh, and mom and dad kept his body in the freezer.

8. Once, when I was newly married and pregnant, I caught myself checking out this extremely hot man on the metro. I was more than a little relieved and excited when I realized it was the reflection of Jason I was looking at.

Whew, it was good to get that all off my chest.

It could be worse

Look at this mama pig and her brand new babies. We saw this new family at Cox Farms. I try to think about this mama when I am feeling tired of breastfeeding. Really, it could be worse.

I am very proud to have reached my goal of 6 months of breastfeeding. I feel like I deserve some sort of award (and please feel free to mention that to Jason next time you see him). Ben has started solids (yummy peas and carrots) and needs to nurse less often. Although I was doubtful of all the promises that breastfeeding would get easier at 6 months (having heard that same story about 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 2 months and 4 months), it really is easier. I can finally leave the house for an extended period of time (like 2 - 3 hours) and not have to worry about having to feed him while we are out. I was ready to quit at this point, but with the upcoming flu season and my aversion to the flu shot, I figured I might as well stick it out a little longer.

The Six Month Mark

Yesterday, baby Ben turned six months. What a cutie!! He has been, by far, the easiest of our babies. He reminds me of my sister sometimes - rather easy going and easy to please, but get him mad (and it takes a lot to really do that) and watch out! Of course, he may not have the option of being anything but easy going since very little in our life is based on his schedule. With kindergarten, preschool, playgroup, shopping and swim classes, this child rarely wakes up from a nap (which usually happens in his car seat more often than not) in the same location. And his brothers love him so much that it usually hurts.

I started a camera shoot to commemorate the day and the two other boys jumped (literally) right in.
Life with Josh and Michael can be overwhelming and scary at times when you only weigh 16 lbs.

Family History

Looking through photos that my Dad and Aunt Dorian have been scanning, I have discovered something...

(my paternal grandmother)

(my maternal grandmother)

(my dad)

(my mom)

(me)

...they come by their cuteness legitimately

Another One Bites the Dust

My father recently provided me with a disc of pictures from my grandmother's history. He has spent countless hours scanning photos and compiling her history. As I looked through the pictures, I found this one. I think this is hysterical. The title of the file is something like "Dot playing with dolls in the sand," but that really misses the essence of this photo. I think this picture begs the question of what horrible event happened here? What is the story behind it? Did Dot innocently fall asleep after hours of play with her beloved dolls or they all the victims of a sub-nuclear ionic photon blast of horror? It almost looks like a scene out of the Twilight Zone. You know, the kind where the answer to these questions will involve inexplicable twists and turns in a plot line that will make you question your assumptions about reality.

Happy Birthday, Jason!