where's the husband?

More of funny comments Julia makes ... it is good stuff!

Overheard during her time with K & M & family ...
gender confused bear - "sometimes Sawyer is male, sometimes female ... I don't ask. That is rude."

something about Nazis ... what?? where did she learn about that?
Apparently she really listens when NPR is on the radio.

Yesterday as we prepared for her overnight at K&M's, Julia was getting her clothes together. She starts counting the people in their house ... 2 women, 3 girls, 4 boys. She stops & says again "2 women ... where's the husband?" She's quite serious in her happy curious way.

I explained that every family is different, there isn't always a wife & husband, sometimes there are 2 wives or 2 husbands.  Then Julia says "it doesn't make sense." She loves K&M & family, I don't believe she's homophobic or anything, her godfathers are 2 men in a committed relationship. However, her idea of marriage, probably because of books, TV & movies, is a man & woman.

Never boring living with Julia! : )

Cake Monster

We have a situation. Jacqueline loves cake!
Cake or muffin or biscuit - doesn't matter, she likes it!
Jai thinks it's my homemade stuff, but I'm not sure.

Every time she sees something that resembles cake or muffin or biscuit, she goes crazy, clapping her hands, making noises LOUDLY. It's funny, but I think we have a serious situation.

Julia is a fan of dessert - understatement! She ate her applesauce birthday cake, but it wasn't anything overly enthusiastic. However, her love of dessert started about 2 years ago & now it's become standard to hear "what's for dessert?" even when she's not eating much for dinner.

Everyone loves my applesauce birthday cake. It's pretty darn yummy, moist, good balance of healthy and not too sweet. Well, I made a carob cake this week. Some people call carob "hippie chocolate" (recent "New Girl" episode). Jacqueline went crazy for it too!! : )

Luckily most of my homemade creations are healthy, local and/or organic ingredients if possible. I doubt my children will be obese unless they stop moving ... I would like that sometimes, but they are normal age-appropriate children. Eating dessert is OK as long as you eat foods in a healthy balance.

Hippie chocolate - love it too! : )

Today ladies!

1/23/13 Modern Family - that Lily! : )

Post Every Week - 2013 Goal

I will post something ONCE a week.
Simple!

Really I should tell myself once a day so it happens once a week ... it's like exercise!

If I say every day, it's just NOT realistic, but 1 time in 7 days, surely I can do that!!

OK - followers ... keep me honest! : )

12 month Wellness Check

Jacqueline went for her 1 year check at the MNPS clinic this week.
She's doing well, seems to be on par with everything. The NP is pleased, not concerned about anything. She had to get 3 shots AND blood drawn for 2 checks for lead & hemocrit levels (iron). Jacqueline was NOT happy about that. : (
It really bothered Julia too and we had to leave & read a book in another room.

Her weight was barely 18 pounds (around the 5 %tile, slightly lower than usual 10 %tile). It is more than Julia weighed, but less than she should, given her being sick for many weeks in December. She is more mobile, crawling faster & cruising quite a bit though that's not why her weight is lower.

Julia had been walking for 2 months at this point! Another reminder of how different each child is. Actually we're grateful she's not walking as much as we want her to. Then the pace would pick up & we're barely keeping up with them now! : )

HAPPY ONE YEAR, JACQUELINE!!!

School Wait list ...

1/22/13 Update: I had the numbers wrong!

I haven't posted in forever, actually never finished post about School Option process, but I thought I'd quickly post our numbers on the wait list.
141 for Hull Jackson = 148 (this is our first choice)
134 for Stanford = 131

I don't think Julia will be going to PK at either of the Montessori schools in MNPS. Oh well, in April we'll complete application for other PK options.

I have a few theories on why our numbers suck, but I'll have to write that later.

FIRST birthday fun

This was a funny birthday party probably because Julia was running around & wanting to take all of Jacqueline's presents.

Side note:
Sharing really is a hard concept, but sharing isn't the correct term for YOUR birthday presents immediately after getting them.

We had the small family only party as usual for 1st birthday. Lisa, my 18 year old sister, came up from college in Chattanooga. Bonnie, made it to this first birthday. : ) Susie participated via Skype to witness the lovely chaos that is now standard fare in our home.

Gifts: you know I love them!
Jacqueline liked her presents. Lisa gave her a cute toy turtle (Squirt from "Finding Nemo"). We got her some Eric Carle items, a great bilingual book about colors & the Numbers flash cards. EC stuff is so beautiful.

Lisa also gave Julia her birthday gift. It is this amazingly cool Dr. Seuss book called "All About Myself." It's great because it includes all of these opportunities to identify & count facts about Julia - name & age, but also how many teeth she has or what color is her hair.

OK after writing all this, the BEST part of the birthday party was the cake! Jacqueline went crazy, she got so excited when she saw it.  We think she's been observing us eat this applesauce cake for the last few months & wondering when is it my turn to get some! As I put the piece on her tray, I didn't think to make it smaller. She picked it ALL up & stuffed it in her mouth! While laughing, I worriedly observed her to make sure she wasn't choking!

It was hysterical & I hope Jai got some good video. I need to ask him where it is. It is some good stuff!

HAPPY first BIRTHDAY, Jacqueline! : )

75th %tile

WHAT??

For height ... yes, expected.
For weight ... is that a typo??

Nope that is what Julia's stats were at her 4 year old well child check yesterday.
Ironically she doesn't weigh 40 pounds yet. That means she is still sitting in the same car seat. That's fine, gives us more time to find a booster seat (thought we'd found 1 on Craig's List, but it was gone quickly!).

Julia always has been tall & lean. Hopefully she will continue to be healthy despite her random eating style & mad crazy fast metabolism.

Oh, well, that's Julia! : )

Nutcracker ballet

Julia's birthday present from Grandma Bonnie was a treat for 3 generations.
The ballet for child, mother, grandmother was a date after church & lunch at Sitar Indian restaurant & was lots of fun! All dressed up in dresses & tights (2 of 3 of us were wearing tights!). : )

After intermission where we hung out in the lobby & watched people at the fountain, we returned to our seats.  I didn't hear this comment at the time, but my mom told me later that Julia, looking quite puzzled, said "what are we doing back here?" Priceless! So Julia. She thought the performance was over & I can understand it. It could have ended at that point & worked for me.

Another funny comment was about a male dancer's attire.
"He's wearing tights ... and you can see his _______ (accurately named male anatomy)." Such frank honesty!

Overall maybe this will become a family tradition though there was lots of Julia saying "what's going to happen next?" : )

funny julia comments

There are SO many funny statements Julia makes.
Many start with "Parents ..." or "My husband ..."
Really! Seriously! : )

These are some recent ones!

12/14/12 her annual birthday date with Uncle Mike
They were at the mall.
"Mike - you look cute in that shirt."
To a mannequin, holding his hand - "I like him."


12/13/12 after Family Math Night at my school

Talking about 1 of the teachers who she knows as Becca - "she is so nice."

While playing cards with Pre-k students - "Alright give me all your jacks."

Not sure of the date, happens quite often lately
To Mommy & Daddy when responding to Jacqueline's gibberish with nonsense words
"Don't do that, talk to her, she's learning."
Disclaimer: we used to say that to Julia when she cries or talks like a baby instead of a big girl in front of Jacqueline ... ahh, the student becomes the teacher.

HILARIOUS! : )

12-12-12

JSS is 11 months old yesterday
Cool numbers!

If you didn't know it, I'm a numbers geek.
Like JSS' birthdate is 1-11-12.
1-2-3 if you add those numbers individually or if you add the 1 + 11 that = 12 same as the year or 1 + the other 1's = 3 which equals the 1+2 in 12 which also is 3.

I've probably already written about it, but I like finding fun associations with numbers.

4 year old Julia

4 glorious years with Julia

We had another fun family birthday at home again this year.
No other friends, no big organized fiesta at an expensive play place or fancy decorated cake. We enjoyed attending those parties as well as some at the child's home - a good variety of experiences.

Julia's request was to make cupcakes together this year, not the typical applesauce cake. She is getting older & of course has her opinions. She wanted chocolate, but I said no so we had lemon. They were yummy! Julia also wanted pizza which we ordered from Castrillo's.

Next year I'm thinking we might reserve the meeting room at the Y - it's affordable& convenient & good parking.

She'll be 5 & we can invite 5 friends. That means about 20 people though because of parents ... surely I can handle that. : )

School Choice

Of course I started this post 2 months ago ... why cannot I pledge to post 1X a day so this doesn't happen. I don't remember what I was going to say exactly.
MNPS has this application process for certain schools which are considered optional. The application period is Nov. 1-30, deadline is Nov. 30.  We completed it in early November.

There are 2 schools for children aged 3-4 years old. They are Montessori focused schools located in the Donelson & Metrocenter areas. Typically you can apply for up to 7 schools; however, these are the only 2 available for Julia at this time. If she doesn't get selected (supposed to be random), then she's wait listed  Our next options are the other Pre-K programs at various schools around the county.

Luckily there are a few at schools in East Nashville which we prefer for a variety of reasons, mainly proximity as you must provide transportation. We also don't want Julia to change schools (hopefully we like the initial one she attends).
We really liked Hattie Cotton & Dan Mills, but DM is the only 1 that has a PK that she's eligible. Our friends' children go there as well as Julia's former teacher's grandchild; they all speak highly of the school. We went to HC's family fitness night & had a blast. We also like our SOZ (school of zone), Inglewood ES, but it doesn't have a PK that Julia is eligible.

Fortunately transportation is not an issue for us. You have to transport your child to PK regardless of where it is as well as any option school that is not your SOZ.  We're too close to Inglewood ES for bus transportation anyway so Jai is planning to walk with the girls if we go to IES or HC. DM is about 2 miles away.

The good thing is we like our options. Julia is going to school somewhere 5 days a week next year. Good for Julia, good for Jai, good for Jacqueline. : )

Pumping Countdown

I have 4 more weeks until Winter Break. I renewed the rental pump today for one last month. Excited much!!!!!!

If necessary after Winter Break I'll bring my home pump to work for a week or 2. I will try to wean myself to only 1 pump a day as Jacqueline will be 1 on Jan. 11. We'll see if that will be required, maybe it won't!!!

So excited for so many reasons! Now I need to get back to the gym more than once a day week so I can continue to consume the calories I enjoy. : )

CLOTH DIAPERS

This is a REALLY old post I started (not really) in 2009.
Really old, come on, so ridiculous!

We used cloth with Julia & we're using them again with Jacqueline. We use the diaper service Smile Mommy which is a small business in East Nashville. Some people ask me about washing my own. Nope, not going to do it. It is worth every dollar we pay SM for someone else to pick up a bag of dirty diapers each week & leave us a clean bag. I like using cloth for a variety of reasons, but I do not want to manage it.  Also it's really nice as your baby grows bigger all I have to do is contact SM & we have new covers & diapers in the next size. So easy, so simple!

One element that is different from when Julia was baby & toddler is that now we keep the covers & wash them ourselves. Initially Jai & I were not fond of this arrangement. We liked getting new covers each week, especially if there were some we didn't care for. However, Jacqueline quickly moved through a few size stages so it was good when we changed & got new covers a few weeks later.  We also can wash them more often if needed & they dry fairly quickly.

Jacqueline has been in her current size for a few months now & is not likely to grow out of it for awhile, possibly not before she toilet trains. We had a few covers we didn't like.  SM asked us to return a couple this week because we downsized how many diapers we receive each week which means we get fewer covers. We gladly chose the 2 we dislike to return. Win win for everyone! : )

The cost is maybe more than most disposables, but comparable to the more environmentally friendly 7th Generation or 365 Whole Foods brands which we purchase when we travel. Overall we like cloth being on our babies' bottoms & are very grateful for a diaper service in our community.

family

Another really old post - not sure what I intended to write though from the date it was a few weeks after Julia was born. My sister was in Nashville during Winter Break for the Christmas holiday & so was my dad & his family.

Original text in BOLD, didn't edit any of it.
dad & his kids - 3 from first marriage, 3 from second marriage
susie and joel here at same time, great opportunity
step-mother breastfed all 3 kids for 15-18 months after returning to paid job after 6 weeks (went to her mother's house on lunch hour to nurse), also used cloth diapers,
susie - the waterworks

Again not sure what else I was going to write, but I'm going to post it. : )

Horrid Day 101:

Start with an almost 4 year old who doesn't go to sleep till 10:30pm. Add an almost one year old who is too congested and wired from guests to go to sleep when she needs too. Let that mix simmer until someone pees in the bed. After that you can add the spices, said 1 yr old wakes up at least an hour before she needs to and 4 yr old isn't far behind. So now, with two under rested, congested children and one under rested, congested dad you start the day.

First thing is to feed the children, after an adequate breakfast 1 yr old starts to cry. Why? Who the hell knows, probably related to teething. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that. Does her crying stop for the next 2 hours? Only when food is in her mouth or she's being carried.

To finish the recipe you have the 4 yr old punch the dog and the refuse punishment.

Optional, correct 4 yr old with severity enough to bring tears and screams which, in turn, scare 1 yr old so much as to have simultaneous scream fest.

And that was all before 10am.

Mini-van Driving

Once again this is an old post ... when will it stop? : )

We bought a Toyota Sienna mini-van 3 months ago (so it really is February 2013, not October)! We LOVE it! Maybe that's why we haven't posted about it yet, been too busy enjoying life with a mini-van.

It was quite a process, especially convincing Jai to agree to get it. I guess I finally wore him down! : ) We researched a few different options, trying to consider the most economical choices with consumer reports. Our top choices were the well loved & more expensive Honda Odyssey & Toyota Sienna.  However, they seemed out of our price range even though we both have driven Hondas & Toyotas for most of our adult driving lives.

We looked primarily at Grand Caravans, but weren't finding the right one (year, mileage, details). We searched different used car sites, mainly on-line, including Car Max (actually looked last summer, but we weren't ready) & got Jai's car (green Corolla) evaluated there for trade-in value. Then 1 day we looked on Car Max's website & saw a Toyota Sienna for a decent price, more than we wanted to pay, but good considering the value for a Toyota or Honda.

So we arranged for Uncles Mike & Chad to watch the girls & headed there to check out the van. When we arrived, it was crowded & there was no one available to assist us. Annoying as Jacqueline had been asleep so I hadn't been able to feed her before we left M&C's house (1:00pm) ... I really was in quite a time predicament. We walked outside & checked out the vans on the lot, seeing a few we liked. We walked back & finally someone was available (2:00pm). We explained we wanted to test drive 2 vans & started the process with Jai giving his license to be verified ... discovered that it had expired 6 weeks ago on his birthday! Therefore I had to drive the vans which was fine, I enjoyed that, but really wanted Jai to drive it since he would be the primary driver.  We drove both, not liking the Kia, but thoroughly liked the Sienna, so spacious, great pick up with the V6 engine, in great condition (interior & exterior), only 82K miles, 8 passengers!

We returned to office cubicle to start purchase part of process (2:30p) & we discovered 2 issues as they checked credit.
1. Jai forgot to bring title to his car - 95% sure he knew where it was in house
2. There were 2 liens on his car ... odd since Jai said he had the title in his possession, but long story about why it didn't get transferred from bank name to his
He said "how did you know to do that?" I don't know, I just did. I'm sure someone told me.
After way too long talking about options, initially the manager saying we could have the van & bring back the title and I'm about to burst with engorgement & we should have just left with the plan to return with required documents, we finally leave, having to put car seats BACK in Jai's car (3:00pm)!

We drive back to M&C's place, hoping everyone is OK because they're not answering their phones, I'm driving of course, and discover that the E light turns on for the gas gauge. Are you kidding me?

First the license, then the title, now almost out of gas! Someone does not want us to get this van. Unbelievable!

We arrive safely at friends' house, Jacqueline only awaken recently, Julia happily watching a movie. I gratefully feed baby while Jai goes to get gas. After thanking M&C for everything, we load everyone into the car & head home to find the title (4:00pm). Jai goes inside & fairly quickly returns with the located document! Eureka! Then I need to go to the bathroom & so does Julia so inside we go while Jai watches Jacqueline. Thankfully she stayed in the car, the only 1! : ) We all get buckled back in the car & head back to Car Max (4:45pm).

This isn't how we wanted to complete the transaction with 2 young children in tow, but you do what you have to do. It really didn't take too long, but there was a TON of paperwork to complete & sign our names a zillion times. It reminded us of buying a house.

In the dark, we finally left Car Max (6:30pm) in our glorious van, all the i's dotted & t's crossed, extremely comfortable, happy & excited. It's nice! : )

10-11-12 = 9 months of Jacqueline

HAPPY MONTHIVERSARY!
Another 3 months have gone by & now you are 9 months old!
You are a character, constantly clapping & smiling!
You're not really crawling yet, but you're busy in your own way! : )
Today you weighed 16.11 pounds, 27 inches long & 42.5 cm head circumference.
Lots of growth since 6 month clinic visit, most definitely since you arrived!
Another pound & you'll have tripled your weight! That's truly amazing - you started so small! 

Side note:
Big sister almost weighs 38 pounds ... yeah!!! You only need a couple more to get to 40 pounds by 4th birthday in December. That way Jacqueline can move into a big kid car seat by 1st birthday in January & Julia can move into a booster seat.  Come on, girls, save your parents some money!!!! : )

Julia also is growing up & out as her pants & tops are getting shorter & her shoes are getting smaller. We don't have any tennis shoes in size 11 or 12 so we're headed to thrift store tomorrow. 

Chicago for Fall Break 2012

Another successful plane ride with 2 small children ... this trip was slightly different from the one to MA in June. Unusually Julia was quieter thanks to Jai's Ipod which she LOVES. Jacqueline did not sleep on this trip, coming or going; 1 example of the difference of being 4.5 versus 9 months old! So much to see & "talk" about this time. Once again we got compliments on how well behaved our children are, surprised as people anticipated how bad it would be sitting next to family with kids.

It was nice to see family. They fed us, cleaned dishes, washed our laundry, watched girls for a Date Night, played with the girls, held the baby often, welcomed & included my sister in their home. It was a great vacation, change of scenery, break from the routine of constant work of parenting, house maintenance & working outside the home. Lovely, so lovely! Thank you!

Side Note:
So awesome to take a break from the pump! Only 9 more weeks to go until Winter Break. FANTASTIC!!!!! : )

Complimentary Food

Jacqueline started eating some foods at 7 months old.
Banana - first one like Julia - loves it!
Sweet potato - yum!
Pumpkin - another loved orange food
Winter squash - delicious, favorite fall food
Tofu - Jacqueline likes it!
apples & blueberries - tart, some funny faces! : )
Oatmeal - OMG! The girl loves her oats! She really has bulked up eating it.

A girl who likes food almost as much as she likes the breast!

Tomato Watermelon Basil Salad

Delicious! Who knew!
Thanks Jai for making this wonderful combination of foods.
All locally sourced too!
YUMMY!!!!

Dear SAHD

Dear SAHD,

I have am 8 month old who seems to only take naps while I am carrying her. My wife has the advantage of nursing but if I even think about putting her in a horizontal position when she is tired she howls like a child who is being beaten within an inch of her life. What do I do? Is there anyway to get her to lay down for a nap?

Exacerbated,
Deaf Dad

---

Dear Deaf Dad,

I have a recently discovered solution that might work for you.

Love her and play with her so she will let her guard down. Feed her as much as possible even if you are squeezing two of her feedings closer together than you should or would like. Take her to the crib and lay her down. Walk away long enough to get another cup of coffee and take a few bites of your lunch. At this point she should be screaming bloody murder - no need for a baby monitor it will be loud enough.

Get a swaddle or blanket large enough to swaddle. Firmly break her concentration by firmly saying the child's name, pick her up and sooth her. Next you want to swaddle her. If she's anything like my child you have to do this straight-jacket tight. Sooth her more and lay her in the crib. Lightly pat her chest while slowly decreasing pressure. If you get no change in facial expression when you stop it is time to walk away and enjoy the solitude.

Hope this works for you.

Signed, SAHD

A Dad dreams

P090412PS-0695, a photo by The White House on Flickr.

Not that I want to be POTUS but one day I hope my girls and I can cut an image somewhere close to as fabulous as this

Via Flickr:
President Barack Obama and his daughters, Malia, left, and Sasha, watch on television as First Lady Michelle Obama begins her speech at the Democratic National Convention, in the Treaty Room of the White House, Tuesday night, Sept. 4, 2012.
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.

Fun things Julia says

Dad, you realize that you have your shoes on inside of the house.

Yesterday Julia said some funny comments to Tara.
1. After checking her backpack for clothes, she was responsible for replacing what was missing.
As we got ready to go to Y, I asked her about the backpack's status.
Julia: "Yes, Mom. I'm on it."

2. We had plans with some friends who we haven't seen in a long time. Probably since Julia was about a year old & they live 2-3 miles from us! However, our plans changed because she was sick, then Jai got sick so we re-scheduled.
Julia: "Are we going? I really want to see them ... though I don't really know who they are."

Wise words from an almost 4 year old. : )