This is why you decide to become a parent...

The giant to CR's right is five months older than our wee-man...and has about 20 lbs on our guy

No more finding baby in the same place we left her...

She's on the move...of course it took us watching her crawl her way to the bathroom three times before we actually grabbed a video camera to record her milestone in the making, hence her tired-out pauses...the girl can really move at 6 1/2 months...oye, things are about to change for us...

So Thankful...

Happy Halloween!

Fireman!

Blurry Cow

Life

Since I am a slacker...

I am still in the vortex that prevents me from posting...exhausted? Yes. Strapped for time? Yes. Still trying to sort out my routine with the non-profit work, coaching, mommying, being a wife, and managing all the day-to-day monotony (shopping, drycleaning, laundry, meal planning, kid managing, etc, etc...you know the drill), I thought I would post some pics of the little ones. They are, well, so. much. fun.

So in love...

What are the chances?

It's been one month since my last post. Sad, because within this past month, so many note-worthy things have happened, and I am just now returning to my happy little outlet.

So B is away on his annual golf outing - something I wholeheartedly support and am proud that he is involved in. The irony? We both stick pretty close to home on average, but on this trip, Baby C has managed to come down with a nasty case of cough and nasal drip...she just woke up at 9:30pm not so happy, I just returned her to her crib, and needless to say, she is not the smily little bundle that she usually is. On that note, hopefully CR's cold won't progress any further [aka the germ manifester]. Should be a long night...

I am sure she will be just fine, and B, I hope you have an amazing tournament. When you get back, I am sure I will need some shut-eye.

Yes, my son does in fact enjoy leaving the couch, thank you for playing...

First off, Happy Birthday AM!!!! We cannot wait to spend time with you and AW down the Cape next week!!!!

Now into it. Nanny interviewing. Detailing this recent process could turn into a painfully long post, but here it is, plain and simple. We have been looking for someone to care for our children once I return to coaching in a matter of weeks. Our parameters are not that stringent - someone who loves to play with little kids, who is responsible, animated, can juggle two beasts without sacrificing the well-being of one to deal with the other...it would be great if they have a clean driving record and a car on top of it. Not a lot to ask, right? Especially when sitters are actively applying for this sort of position...

We had two individuals come by.

The first, EW, came in and immediately stooped down and engaged CR in conversation, played along when he asked her to come upstairs to see his room. When she left, he referred to her as a princess. If you remember, CR called me a princess at one point...I don't care, I still feel special and I am keeping the dress...

The second, well, that was a whole other story. I had a previous phone conversation with EO, and based on how she presented herself on the other end of the line, you would have thought she was the next Mary Poppins. Shroud in white terrycloth sweats, she waltzed into our home, cruised past CR without a glance, and plopped down her white iPhone with a bedazzled case on the dining room table.

We took a seat on the livingroom couch, where we proceeded to engage in what I intended to be a give and take interview-type conversation...but it proceeded to become a mini support group in the 'burbs. Instead of focusing on her childcare experience, she proceeded to tell me about her aunt who had recently passed (laughingly she said she died in her sleep "at a whopping 600lbs"...not amusing in my mind, but if weight-caused death make you chuckle, then, there's that...), the fact that her father had to have an operation to remove a non-malignant tumor, and that she wanted to spend her upcoming wedding anniversary at Disney World...the latter is not a tragic event in her life, but I sure wanted to give her some support and words of advice against that decision.

After lamenting for 20 minutes, she reluctantly followed CR upstairs to his room, where she proceeded to tell me that she hasn't spent more than 5 consecutive hours with children for the past two years, and that since she has been "doing this for so long now," (mind you, the girl is 29), that she is pretty much tired of the whole childcare thing...wow. Huge selling point. She asked if CR was doing quiet solo activities for long periods of time - like sitting down and doing arts and crafts for a couple of hours. She did not like the idea of doing one task for a bit, and then switching gears onto another game or change in location...these parameters are sort of a must when dealing with a preschooler. I asked her point blank if she has the energy to be with two children for fifteen hours a week, and she said yes...with a moment of hesitation...oh, and that if one of our children got sick, count her out five days on either side of onset...I wouldn't expect someone to care for my children while they are sick, but, um...NEXT!

So EW starts on Tuesday...she is a princess...

My muscles are confused, as is our son...

Bad Mommy and Daddy. Selfish, selfish, selfish...

B and I started doing P90X. We took advantage of our vacation at the Cape as a family and spent four afternoons sweating and groaning in front of the TV, doing things that our 35-year-old bodies should not be doing...sounds kinky, but it's not.

For those not familiar with the exercise program, there are multiple DVD options that vary in length (45 minutes to an hour and a half in duration) that guide you through jump training, arm and leg strengthening, and yoga...innocuous enough, right? Not so much. Not only did our limbs and core ache for days, CR decided that ignoring him during our routine was something that he could do without. How did he show his displeasure? He stood directly in front of the toilet, lifted up the seat, pulled down his pants, and proceeded to urinate all over the floor. It was a good enough sign for B and me to stop the insanity, turn off the TV, and retire the DVDs to their case. It was a welcome accident for our muscles...

Summer Hiatus

One would think that the dog days of summer would yield lots of free time, lazy afternoons, and time to post...well, sadly not in this house, but until I am able to get back into the rhythm of things, I thought I would begin to post a few pics taken over the past couple of weeks. If anything, they will serve as visual reminders to elaborate on some pretty amusing stories that have culminated from the move, etc...

Starting off, we may not live in the city of brotherly love, but here on Hawthorn Ave, CR does a good job of showing his warm feelings toward his sister (that is, until he gives her a cheap shot to the belly at the close of a hug)...

A little fun on the playmat...

Birds and lawnmowers

We're in. With huge help from Ga, Gee, Mimi, Pop-pops, J and D, and other various strangers (one day this past week we were so desperate to get CR out of our hair, we called in a random sitter who we'd never met to take him to the park while we packed - it worked out well, but still...desperate times) we are finally settling into our new home.

This morning I woke up to the sound of birds chirping, and the feint sound of a lawnmower in the distance...a far cry from the usual sounds that float through our windows in Cambridge (let me rephrase that - in Cambridge we usually slept with our windows shut to keep out the sounds of sirens, garbage trucks, and other service vehicles in our neighborhood). Here? Open up the hatches and let in the songs of suburbia.

Stress and Snore - not a diner, but more a state of being...

Boxes stress me out. Empty ones make it ten times worse. Add fatigue and I am a hot mess.

We move in two days, and here we sit, watching DVRed episodes of Hung. Love the show, but it does not help get items packed up for our move on Thursday.

We went by the new house earlier today - we love it. Walls painted, floors urethaned, R family happy. T minus 2 days...Needham, here we come!

CR-isms - First Installment

"Shake milk and chicken burger....that's my favorite dinner"...don't you mean milkshake??

"Mommy, I want a cow-back" (instead of, say, a piggy-back?)

"Where are the sharp things?" (asked after we took golf tees away from him)

"What else I can draw?" asking Mommy what he can draw in his coloring book - after this grammatically incorrect statement, he lists off the following:
"Prune juice? And Poops? And apples?" (apparently he knows that the first leads to the second, and that too many of the third result in the second as well)

Mommy: "CR, what are you doing up there" (as I hear him running around his room when he is supposed to be napping...)
CR: "Mommy, I'm just sleeping!"

5/10
CR: "My penis is tall" (yikes!)

5/25
B and J stop in Harvard Square to check out Harvest's most recent dinner menu posted outside of their restaurant. CR, on B's shoulders, states:
"Why don't you just go in - the lights are on" (while gesturing with his hands and shrugging his shoulders - apparently he thinks his parents are idiots...)

7/25/10
Watching Mommy try on the dress I wore to my sis-in-law J's wedding, trying to decide whether or not to keep or donate it...
"Wowwie zowwie, you're a princess!"
I'm keeping the dress...how can I not??

Summer Fun

I bet this boy didn't think he would have a little shadow following him around at the park...

A little taste of Hollywood

It has been too long since my last post...

With the move, the baby (love you, Baby C, but with your nightly feeding schedule, my mind has turned to mush...finding the appropriate words to use in a sentence have become a true effort, and I am lucky to get in a shower at the end of the day), and lack of childcare, sitting down at the computer as been tough. I do have to say, however, newborns aren't that interesting to write about in the first few months of life. They eat, sleep, poop (well, most poop...our little lady is a bit of a fecal-hoarder, so poops have to be coerced out with administering small bottles of water every couple of days...delightful), eat, eat, sleep...you get the picture. Not very exciting to read about.

But, a recent sighting at our beloved local Dana Park inspired me to post - a little Casey Afflick love...B and our friend T were playing with CR and W, and low and behold, the semi-famous Cambridge native made an appearance...

In looking at the second shot, I am amused by the thought of B pretending to take a picture of T...our children are nowhere in sight, so who knows who was "watching" them while the star-struck fathers snapped TMZ-esque candids of the actor...

I hope to begin actually posting again...to get some things done this week, we even shipped CR off to CT to be with Ga, Gee, Mimi and Pop-pops, hence I am able to sit down and write this post...maybe they'll keep him...

Seven Weeks, and a world away...

Yes, I am still extremely sleep deprived. Not from one night in particular, but a compounded effect of night after night of double awakenings/feedings, piled on top of months of sleepless nights ridden with pregnancy-induced heartburn, restless legs, and overall bloated unhappiness. I want my body back - getting back in shape after CR was reasonable easy (in the grand scheme of things), but now that we have two monsters to look after, finding time to work out is a little harder these days, and I would love to jump ahead to where I (hopefully) will be strength-wise, fast-forwarding through this awkward in-between phase. BUT, it is all so worth it. The baby girl is such a different bird than she was when she first came home. She is a little animated beast...smiles have started (not in these pictures, but believe me, the little one is smirking at her big brother and crazy parents all the time now), and she is such a kissable little being. Completely in love...utterly and deeply smitten...

Are we in Phoenix?

Seriously....really?

Needless to say we stuck close to home (read: in the AC) today...

Red, White and Blue

Ev'ry heart beats true...even across the Charles here in Cambridge.

B, CR, Baby C and I strolled down Mem Drive on the 4th and took in the sights.

(MIT geeks were at it on the river - there were many of these brainchild creations being launched into the water)

(I am a proclaimed agoraphobe, so looking down the road at this sea of strangers made my stomach churn a bit...)

(CR was too cool for school)

(Walking back home, the light was amazing...this iPhone pic does not do it justice)

On Sunday we headed out to Needham to see the fam - AW, AM, and CR could not be any more into doing their own thing, and ignoring the camera...

We swung by the new place, and CR decided to sprawl across the lawn, au Naturale, and make a lasting impression on the new neighbors...

God, I hope they weren't home...

Brotherly love?

Baby C looks a little tough, but the pic was too cute to not post...

CR loves his little sister.

Sweat equity gardening and what-not

Ga and Gee came up for a weekday visit - we checked out the ongoing updates to our new space, and got our hands a little dirty in our new yard.

Gee and I dug up some hardened dirt in hopes of planting some grass seed - hopefully it will fair a little better than the attempts to grow grass at our current place - after multiple attempts in our shared back yard, we threw in the towel (along with a bunch of money) and had our cousin C put down sod...we have his number as our general council for our new yard trials and tribulations as we enter this new phase of house ownership.

B picked up cucumber, tomato, and various spicy pepper plants, and Ga and CR made sure they were planted in the appropriate locations in the back yard.

Next trip up to MA for Ga and Gee? A little painting party at our new place. Everybody loves a party...food and beverages will be served.