Thank you to Santa

Last night James and I went to pick Joel Andrew up from school. Daddy was not feeling very well. Since I was doing the pick-up during normal dinner prep time, I also decided we would pick up Joel Andrew's favorite, Dilla (Quesadilla) for dinner.

Joel Andrew was very good. He was super excited for dinner, had a great day at school and was being very talkative. We were waiting in line, when a man entered the place and got in line behind us. He immediately struck up a conversation with Joel Andrew.

MAN: "What's your name?"

JA: "Joel."

MAN to Mommy: "What?"

Mommy: "Joel."

MAN: "What's his name?"

JA: "Baby James. And that's Mommy."

MAN: "Did you have a nice Christmas?"

JA: "Yes. Thank you for my present."

MAN to Mommy: "What did he say?"

Mommy: "I am not sure."

MAN: "What did you say?"

JA, yelling: "Thank you for my present!"

MAN: (laughing) "Ho, Ho, Ho."

The man was older, and had a long white beard. I smiled and we got our Quesadilla and went home. So far there are 21 likes of this account on Facebook!

Mistake

Clearly it was a mistake to post the previous, as we are now having the worst night we have ever had with sleeping. Awesome.

Sleep

I was not going to post about this, because there is so much drama involved with sleep training your kids recently - and also because I didn't want to jinx the parts that are working so well, and finally because I did not want to admit my parental fail... But here it is. We are 90% good with Baby James sleeping right now. Dare I try to go the extra 10%?

This has been going this way for a while now. Just after daylight savings time he has adjusted to no longer wake up earlier than 6. Actually, yesterday morning he had a crying fit at 5:45 for about 1 minute and then went back to bed... Other than that, an after 6 waking baby is an awesome baby. Notice this has coincided with a lot of happier Mommy posts.

I will say it, I wish the kid slept until 7 or later, like his brother. I know, that is asking for too much and I should be thankful, over-joyed really! I should. But, I can't help it and other things this baby is doing is making me think that some of my recent bad-Mommy habits are preventing my little bundle of joy from being on the golden 7:30-7:30 schedule. Here they are, I am admitting them, for all to see.
#3. I do not keep a strict bedtime. 7:30 is "bedtime" in our house for the boys. But we are not very good at keeping this tight. With the holidays we have been creeping towards 8. Last night I realized we were going for a later bedtime for James so I tried to speed things up... But it was too late. By 7:35 he had turned into a pumpkin and was a complete crying mess until I put him in his crib. Literally, while I was pulling down the shades and putting on his sleep music the kid was snuggling in for the long haul on the floor. It was the only thing that calmed him so I almost left him there, 1/2 passed out, on the floor. But finally moved him to his crib. He passed out before I could turn the monitor on. Am I putting him to bed too late? But if I put him to bed any earlier, will he start waking in the 5's again?

#2. I let him nap too long. The little bugger naps like a champ. A real champ. Right now he is at two naps a day, two hours each. And, even with that I have to wake him up 1/2 the time because he is stretching towards 2-1/2. That is four hours a day of baby nap time. I wonder if I cut it down to 1-1/2 hours each nap, would he tag that extra hour onto bedtime? The thing I am most petrified of, and most convinced of, is no - he will not tag that onto bedtime, and I will loose an extra hour of nap time too...

And the #1 thing that is totally my fault and creating bad sleeping habits...

I let the kid in the bed. I know, I should be thankful that he wakes up in the 6's. Today he woke up at 6:45! And, what did I do? I grabbed him before he could make too much noise and wake his brother (who I would like to keep sleeping until 7:30), and brought him in bed with me. It is our new thing. We snuggle every morning now. We love it. Almost 95% of the time, he falls back asleep too. The other morning he was snoring so loud at 7:30, and I heard Joel Andrew was up, so I had to wake James. James was pissed. This morning, at 6:45, a really late time for most kids, James fell right back to sleep in my bed - so quickly, I did not even have the covers on right. So, don't you think that if he goes back to bed at this point, that he should be able to make it to 7 on his own, in his crib? But, he makes lots of noise before I get him and move him... Do we just fight through the noise and see if he eventually gets it? What about waking the toddler?

So, I will take suggestions - do I try to mess with something that is actually working for our family (look at the long blog I am writing while James is napping) - or do I leave it be? Am I creating a monster with the kid in the bed thing... When should I stop that by? Can we make it to daylight savings and then the kiddo will wake at 7 and all will be golden? Should I just stop stressing over this finally and move onto something more important like world hunger?

CIO, a small footnote.

I have seen lately a lot of Moms pinning against other Moms for the Cry It Out thing. I just want to say once and for all, that there are two camps here. There just are. I am on the Cry It Out Camp. You are not going to scare me with your I am emotionally ruining my child, I am making him fat, stupid and insecure. I already know I am doing all of those things by no longer breastfeeding :). I have done Cry It Out with both my kids, and both times it was entirely different experiences. Joel Andrew cried, and cried, and cried for hours and then two days later and ever since has slept through the night. James would cry for one minute, sleep for an hour. Cry for another minute, sleep for two hours. Cry three minutes - by the time I had enough and I got to his bedroom door, sleep for four hours. He did this for months, waking up once or twice a night or so but never for longer than two minutes. Sometimes, he still does this if his teeth bother him but each time when I get to his door, he is passed back out again. There was one awful night where he did 1 minute of crying every hour. This was much worse for Mommy as although little man passed back out, Mommy was wide awake, and could not go back to sleep for the next 59 minutes. Then, finally, Mommy would get back to bed and little man would cry again. I posted on Facebook about it which led to lots of drama as to whether Cry It Out is the best choice or not. The one thing I learned from that is that it is each person's choice. Each person is a parent to their own kid. All of my friends and family do their best to make their kids healthy, feel safe and secure, we are all doing our best. My best is done when there is 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep, for all!

Christmas

Boy, did we have a big Christmas! The boys were showered with presents. I knew we would have a lot, but then we also received a present shipment from the extended Williams family and Kickery families too! The boys are spoiled, but loving everything and very appreciative of it all. (well, at least Joel Andrew is... If you think slobbering all over you new stuff is appreciation, then James Morris is appreciative too).
We carried on the Hall family tradition of opening one present on Christmas Eve. Joel Andrew opened an awesome sleeping bag from Auntie Jennie which Otter proceeded to love; and James opened a Bruins pillow. But, they both found the box to be more entertaining.

On Christmas morning, it was mahem. Lots of presents all over the place and a concerned Mommy that we would loose tiny pieces in the piles of presents and wrapping paper; or that my little trouble seeked would eat little plastic bits from packaging. But all seemed to go well.
We did learn a few things - do not put out ANY presents for the kids until after they go to bed on Christmas Eve. We had all the presents out- except for the few from Santa - so when I finally put the Santa presents out it was a pathetic addition. Think of how grand it would be to have only a few presents out and you go to bed, and wake up and there are thousands! (there really are thousands with us...).

Another thing I already knew, but had not stressed enough to the remainder of the family - is to please put together the toys BEFORE wrapping them. Having a toddler unwrap a box of a toy was not as wonderful as just unwrapping the toy. We then spent the next twenty minutes talking him off a ledge while Dad tried to rip open the present.

There was also so many, it was hard to have Joel Andrew appreciate them all. He was super excited no matter what he opened, whether it be a book about Trains, a sweatshirt, or a remote-control car. But we then went onto the next present. We rushed through the morning. Maybe next year we can do a present every hour until we run out or something like that... But then it wouldn't help my next thought...
Things we did right - we have a surprising array of presents, and once all was unwrapped, Mommy quickly gathered up a few and put them right back down in the basement before anyone could notice. This way it can be Christmas all winter long, I can bring up a new toy in a few weeks and rotate them in and out. He had way too many things anyway, and some were a little more advanced than others. So, I am thinking this will work out nicely.
They are lucky, lucky boys and we need to find a way to give back to others. It is just crazy to think that our boys had so many toys I have hid 50% of them; and there are other kiddos out there who didn't get any.

But in the meantime we will savor the memories. Probably the most fun part of being a parent for me is when I get to watch my kids do the things that were the most fun for me when I was a kid, and Christmas was right up there. I loved showing Joel Andrew the cookie for Santa, and carrots for the reindeer. Opening a present on Christmas Eve and decorating cookies together was so wonderful. But I love even more that we have created new traditions of watching The Polar Express, and going to see Santa, and having the Elf on the Shelf. Many fun years ahead. If this year was so great watching Joel Andrew open the gifts, and James climb the boxes - what will next year be like?

Children's Museum of Maine

Today we ventured to Portland, Maine to the Children's Museum of Maine! Another $18 saved with my Association of Children's Museums/Science Museums membership (which cost $120, and so far I have made back $36... I have a full year to get the remainder, as they goofed and my membership is now valid through Dec 31, 2012).

We met with Jenny, Caroline and Troy. What fun we had! Troy excitedly greeted James (I think he was psyched not to be the tiniest anymore) and Caroline and Joel may have looked at each other, but were so busy roaming they hardly seemed to notice. Jenny and I enjoyed some brief catch-up time, which I hope we will extend at a later date!
The Museum is one of the better Children's Museums I have been too - and here is why. The baby area. If you have a toddler or older, and a baby - you should go here. It is perfect! They have an under 3 soft caged off safe place to play in the middle of the main floor, and it is surrounded by toddler/ older child exhibits like a fire truck, tractor, mechanic shop (Joel's favorite), fishing boat, grocery store, etc. You could stay in the baby area with your little one and see your toddler the whole time, or be with your toddler and be quite close to your baby who is trapped in the soft and enclosed baby area. I was a big fan. We stayed in there quite a bit - and the toddlers enjoyed it too!
Upstairs is even more impressive. They have a whole LL Bean area with a babbling stream, place to cut down logs, tree house, space shuttle (Joel's other big favorite) and animal room equipped with turtles and fish (live). There was also some weird exhibit about how Indian-American people live. Don't get me wrong, I love learning about it and trying to teach my children as well. The plastic Naan bread was awesome. But, one of these things was not like the other. When Joel was throwing around the plastic cow I felt like we committed a crime and needed to leave. And then I really wanted some Bhartha.

James had as much as a ball as Joel Andrew, which was a huge plus for us - He is starting to really enjoy everything! The place had a nice cafe to eat at, but bring your own food as there is no real food, just a fake kid kitchen (to occupy the kids while the adults eat still), and there are only two high chairs. Parking is also validated (from $5 to $3), so all in all, a really great and affordable day for us!
I should also mention the awesome ball room they have at the entrance with all sorts of pipes and ramps and things to put balls through, roll them over, etc. Joel Andrew was getting all his colors right finally as he picked up new balls to put through the mazes. The kid can count higher than me, can sing his alphabet, but usually when you ask him about a color his answer is always red. Good day, we will be back in the summer for their outdoor pirate playground!

The Polar Express

Tonight I had the boys to myself. And it was actually fantastic. We talked, we ate dinner, we played. I didn't even need to put on the tv, but decided I would anyway. So, I put The Polar Express on in the background. Joel Andrew is not really keen on new movies, and is tough with anything but Pixar, but he loved it! It was slow in the beginning, but I think he just loved sitting next to Mom and Baby James and talking the movie out. He is a movie talker like his Mom.

So, tomorrow night and Thursday night we will watch a little more (breaking it into three's). It was a lot of fun being with my guys. The storyline of the movie was also a helpful reminder too that they get big real fast, and the magic will be gone soon... So, I better hold onto it while it is here!

Now that that nice Mommy sentiment is out there for public view, I am off to have a well-deserved glass of wine!

North Pole Visit

Yesterday we went with the Kings and the Solso's to Charmingfare Farm in Candia, NH. It was a visit to the North Pole. What a fun time. Sadly we lost our temperate weather, and it was a little cold, but we were all bundled up really well and enjoyed the trip.

The Farm put on a nice show for us. While we waited for the carriage ride out to Santa's house, we saw a ton of animals. The bigs of fed the animals and got pony rides while the littles were carried around by all the Mommies.

We got on the carriage ride, and some of the parents were a little anxious. Loading up kiddies on a big hayride, to go some place we cannot walk back from? Is this a good idea? Luckily the bulk of the hayride was just for show. Baby James had had enough just after we got on, so I was getting a little worried. How far is this place? How long is this ride? Luckily it was a big loop, and we got there soon enough.

Santa was walking around casually chatting with everyone, and Mrs. Claus was making us hot chocolate and cookies. There were also all sorts of random characters, though we just stuck with Santa. Maybe next year, with a little less craziness of babies in bjorns, etc - we can enjoy it a little more.

The ride back was a wagon, a little faster. There was a chance to get off and see Santa's reindeer. All in all it was a great day! Maybe we will be dressed even warmer next year. Also, packing a lunch is silly to do - because you are so chilled you just want to be inside and be warm. So, we booked it back to our house in Hampton Falls and ate there.
The King boys and the Williams boys had a great time hanging out after such a big day!

I Love This Boy

I seem to say that over and over again. I am not sure if it was the recent rest and relaxation, the stopping of the breastfeeding (and already noticeable adjustment of attitude), or the fact that he has hit is fun age of 6-12 months, but James and I are best friends. Not to say that I did not love him before, but we had our fights, our moments. Lately he has been on my good side, 24-7 which is saying something since I get cranky easily!

I am sure he will challenge me tonight for writing this. But I will go on.

He is crawling now, everywhere. Into the fireplace, to cords that are across the room. To the garbage can to get inside. And also pulling up, on the stairs. Opening the cabinets in the kitchen. I do not remember Joel Andrew doing any of these things, let alone this fast. He army crawled for months - I think starting at 8 months; and then crawled for like a day before walking at 10-1/2 months. So this is all new territory for us.

Also, you could tell Joel Andrew "No," and he would get it. We had minimal childproofing with him. Not so sure our minimal childproofing will fly with Baby James. Husband jokes he is like a fly drawn to one of those lights - he sees danger, and he is in!

He continues to be happy. He is loving the bottle now, which is really good. I went through a moment of - hmmm, maybe I should go back and stick it out. But I have been loving the 90% diminished puking (still there, but oh so much less), and the no biting, and having me all to me again.

I also love Joel Andrew. He is in an extremely polite phase, which I hope lasts forever. If we say Thank You to him, he responds "Thank you, too." Which is the cutest thing ever. He still tantrums don't get me wrong - but he comes out of them well. He is very caring. He loves his little brother and he really missed us when we were away.

It is funny to watch the two boys together, they have such different personalities. I can't believe I thought Joel Andrew was trouble... Compared to James, he is nothing!

Today I moved James under 12 month clothes away (most to donate, some to friends, and very select items to the one bin I am allowed to keep and go through with glasses of wine when they are older, crying.) and in is the 18 months. Joel Andrew still fits into 2T. I am thinking I should just 2T for the both of them, and although it will be slightly too big for James, and slightly too small for Joel Andrew, it will make things a lot easier on Mommy!

Mommy and Daddy Time

It has been a long time since a post, and since I should be Christmas shopping instead, I think I will post. But, I have nothing kid-related to post about since husband and I just spent a few wonderful days in Las Vegas! So, I thought I would do something totally out of order and post about Vegas.

It was fabulous. Every parent should get 5 days off each year without kids. It is imperative. I cried in the airport on the way out. What happens if the plane crashes? Who will take care of our kids? (By the way, that is real and very scary, but probability wise not so high, but still something to be considered). Why am I spending my precious time in Vegas? Baby James is going to learn to crawl while I am gone. We are just wasting money. I am not going to get to sleep. Well, all of the above was true (except for the safe travel part, we are still here). Baby James crawled. We gambled and I bought some ridiculously expensive, but oh so cute things. And sleep, not so much. But, we had a FANTASTIC time!

I am continually fascinated by the place. The history, the hotels, the people that are there. Who goes to Vegas, really? Mid-week, lots of babies that's who. This is because the malls to go to when you are a Vegas resident, are on the strip. Funny thing to think about. Parking your car in a casino so that you can go to Ann Taylor. So, mid-week that was the crowd I needed to battle when shopping, stay at home Mom's and Dad's taking their kiddos in stroller through a casino mall.

I had the most relaxing time, seriously, ever, in my life, at the Canyon Ranch Spa there. You do not even need to get a service. For $40 you have complete access to their entire spa facility. Which includes steam room, sauna, hot tub, showers, bathrooms, lockers, etc. But also a rainforest shower (strange and too cold); Igloo room (surprisingly not too cold); Scent room (had a fancier name); Salt Grotto (The most comfortable seat thing I have ever sat in); and some other sort of zen room where you lay in a really comfortable couch chair and stare at the ceiling where a reflection of water rippling plays forever. I could have slept in the last room - like still be there right now sleeping. It was so comfortable, quiet, lovely. You could go from room to room and in between stop in one of their waiting rooms which have amazing couches and soothing waterfalls, and nice reading lamps, and read your book and nap. You could spend all day. Next time I go to Vegas, husband has to find something else to do and in waiting for the ridiculously late plane ride home I might just hang out here. At least I can get a shower in!

That is enough about the spa. I am glad I did this first, as it allowed me to get relaxed. It was hard to not worry about what was going on at home. But I quickly stopped worrying, as they were in great hands, and went to Me-ville. A fantastic place where I walk whereever I want, eat whatever and whenever I want and drink however much I want. It was fantastic. (Husband, I should mention, the first two days we were there, was in a conference).

My second day I went to an awesome restaurant in the Cosmopolitan called China Poblano which specializes in only Tacos and Dim Sum. I sat and watched a woman make tortillas for two hours, ate dim sum and drank the strongest margaritas ever. When the waiter recommended two types of margaritas and asked me which one I would like, I said both! Bring whichever first! Delicious.

Time with husband was wonderful too! His tastes are probably the complete opposite of mine, so it was good I got my stuff out of the way. He wants to gamble, does not like adventurous food, and hates the big fancy shopping malls and spas. So, I made sure to get my eat, and fancy mall shopping out of the way. Though, I did drag him to the new mall, Crystals. I would like to take a moment and reflect on just how ridiculous this place is. It kinda makes me want to join the Occupy things. There was not one store in this mall that offered one thing under $1,000. It was only crazy expensive stuff. It had some nice sculpture in it, but that was it. How is this built in 2011? How are the stores not suffering? When I went mid-week there were only 20 people in the whole mall, and most of them like me were gawking. Only one person was talking to a store clerk, and they seemed to have travelled very far to get here. If you get my drift.

Anyway, we went to see Garth Brooks. I hated country music before my husband, and even still am not really the biggest fan. But I LOVED the show. I was shocked how much I loved it. Of course I cried when he sang Sweet Baby James. He told stories about his growing up, about his experiences meeting famous people, and sending his children to college. At the end I wondered if true Garth fans would have been disappointed with the show, as there really was not much Garth music to be had - but again, I did not care. I loved it! That was all that matters!

So, I also found out that thanks to help from my in-laws, I am not too bad at Blackjack. I am proud to say that I certainly made out in that realm. I probably broke-even with Video Poker (once you factor in the free drinks) over the course of the week. But, I failed miserably at slots. I hate slots.

So, it was a great trip. Again, my favorite place in the world to be by myself. I want to go back again! I have done it with the girls, with the in-laws, and now with my husband. Maybe a couples trip? We had just enough time, as waiting for out 11pm plane flight out on Saturday got a little tedious. Being there during Cowboy week was awesome! Mid-week Vegas was a ton of fun though, as on the weekends power-walking to get all over the place was replaced with dodging drunk people, old people, and strollers (still!).

Can't wait to go again!

Oh, and as a side note - Baby James did start crawling while we are away, and now he is everywhere, not to be trusted. The kid goes right for cords and plastic bags, no joke. Joel Andrew is doing wonderfully and although I thought all the grandparent love would drive him into bratville, he is very good! His new thing to say: "Thank you too." In response to Thank you. I'll take it.

Thanksgiving 2011

Another year, another Turkey, and lots of fun. This year was James Morris' first Thanksgiving, and boy did he have a great time! He even enjoyed some of the Thanksgiving meal and had some turkey, sweet potatoes and carrots all mashed up with chicken broth. Yum! He ate the whole bowl and loved eating in the fancy dining room!
It is clear how much Joel Andrew has grown, and continues to grow. He is practicing his pleases and thank you's a ton now. (When we remind him). We watched the Thanksgiving Day parade together, and he was somewhat entertained. He loved to see the balloons of those he knew, like Buzz Lightyear, the duck (Aflac), and Mickey. He seemed a little confused by the band performances, and he is not yet in full understanding of Santa. We have been working on it, and it will come.
Some interesting things out of Joel Andrew's mouth lately, "You want a punch in the nose?" I realize this does not sound funny to some of you out there, but it is. We always ask him: "Do you want something else for dinner?" And, then we proceed to list a bunch of things. When he inevitably is not paying attention, we ask him if he wants a punch in the nose. Which is generally funny, because no one wants that and it proves he is just not paying attention. Well, today before I could get the big list of things out that he could have next, he told me he wanted a punch in the nose. I guess someone was paying attention after all!
We have started putting out the decorations, and the house is looking festive. Baby James and I are in a bit of a hard time, as the last time he nursed, ever - was Thanksgiving morning. He is now a full-time bottle man. I was previously alright about this, but Baby James hates the bottle almost as much as his brother did, so it is hard to watch. Boobie feeding was so much easier! But hopefully Mommy can return to normal mental state which will be very good for the whole family. Plus, pumping in Vegas (we leave Tuesday) would be not fun!
So, he got 6-1/2 months, and over double his birthweight (he weighted 21 pounds, 4 ounces on Tuesday)! Not bad I would say! He is onto bigger and better things now, like Turkey!

Tumble Bugs

This was the best picture I could get of our first Tumble Bugs class. In an effort to get out more with my eldest son, just the two of us, I signed us up for a Saturday morning gym class. I am also trying to get him into more activities since it all seems to be Gymboree for us.

He loved it, and Mommy did too. It was crowded, and it is not cheap - $71 for 4 classes, yikes! But it is a whole different way of doing things, which is great for Joel Andrew to learn. At Gymboree there is group time, but most of the time is spent with us going on the obstacles at our own pace, on our own. At this place, you needed to go in order, wait your turn, stand in line. Helpful things for life. Joel was so confused about the line business. Mommy enacted a rule which helped him learn really quick: "Get out of line, go to the behind."

If waiting his turn and standing in line was tough, soccer time was really difficult. The "no hands" rule was very tough to follow. At one point he actually picked up the ball with his wrists making sure his hands were not touching the ball. It was hysterical.

Yes, he is the youngest in his class, and he will get there. But I am excited for all this new learning! A great morning with just me and my big guy. Helpful hint to others wanting to do gym class with their little ones: don't stand on the edges of the trampoline and foam pits - they are deceptive and you are likely to fall in!

Children's Museum of New Hampshire

Today instead of going to Gymboree we went to the Children's Museum of New Hampshire, which is in Dover (formerly the Portsmouth Children's Museum). It was believe it or not, our first time there. Joel Andrew had been with Nana and Pa in the past. But it was the first time for Mommy and James.

We went right upstairs to the 0-3 area. Local friends told us of the awesome train table. Joel Andrew was having none of any of it at the beginning, so we had to walk around, get acquainted, and then finally Mommy explained either he gets with the program or we go home. And, then he had a great time! The train table area was perfect for us, I could put Baby James down and he could explore in the infant corner, while Joel Andrew could play with the trains.
The remainder of the Museum was also great, and will be key in a year or two when they can both wander around. The art center was fully stocked and would have been awesome had Mommy had a hand free to help with the craft. It was very clean, parking was very easy, and the restrooms were nice. I was sad there were no strollers allowed, but I think if I just adjusted accordingly and did not carry such a big bag, we would have been ok.
The good news is that I bought an ASTC-ACM membership for $120. This means that this year we will get into this Museum ($18 cost); the Children's Museum, Boston; the Museum of Science, Boston; The Discovery Museums, Acton; The Children's Museum and Theater, Portland; The See Science Center; and a bunch of places in Chicago for when we visit my parents. I figure it is well worth the money! Between this and our Zoo membership that has lots of reciprocity (50% though here), we are good for a while with our excursions.

Heard Round the House

Just some recent quotes that I do not want to ever forget:

Joel Andrew to Mommy: "Can we go to the store to watch a movie today?" Joel Husband to Mommy: "He calls the movie theater, 'watching a movie at the store'."
Dinner last night, Joel Andrew proceeds to ask Daddy all sorts of questions about what noises animals make. It lasted a good ten minutes.

Joel has been mistakenly calling his mittens "golf clubs." I think it is because gloves and clubs go so well together. I spent a good five minutes this morning explaining and showing him the difference. Then, we drove to gym class. On the way we passed a Green. Joel Andrew said: "What's that Mommy?" I reply: "A golf club." Boy, did I just undo everything we just worked on...
Nana and Pa, Ama and Grumpy and Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Jennie have been repeated constantly since I mentioned they will all be here in some for or another in the next few weeks. Sadly, he seems to be stuck on Aunt Jennie and Uncle Jeremy's visit - which will be the shortest and the furthest away. They should realize that they need to come to my house for Thanksgiving already.
Some shots of Baby James in his photo shoot. Sweater vests are the new bib! I censored a photo of Angus giving Baby James tongue. He is doing much better with his puking, like a ton better. I am positive it is not the medicine he is on now, but the fact that he is getting more and more bottle. If I boob him, he pukes right afterwards. If it is a bottle, only one minor one a few minutes later. Boobs are being permanently put away soon! I better work on this so I do not have anything left by Vegas... 10 days to go! Why is it so hard to give up? I am going to be bummed if I gain weight back when I stop... Though it probably will not be from that but from the chocolate cake I had for breakfast this morning, or my mother visiting for two weeks, or the holidays... Or our constant eating in Vegas... Hmmm.

New England Aquarium - Boston Fun

Today we went to the New England Aquarium (and by the way, this is a multi-post day, lots going on lately, see below for more family fun). It was a last minute decision to go - as I had waivered a ton about it, but I decided, 64 degrees in November, let's take advantage.

Last Monday we went to the Franklin Park Zoo. I like to do these big trips on the days I have both kids because of the quiet car time, the fact that it eats up a lot of the day, and also because it is interesting for all of us and just nice to get out. Also, lots of anticipation of snowed in days in January, so I feel we should get out while we can. A quick look at the costs of all these days and pretty soon my husband is going to be wanting to put both kids in daycare to save money...

The days don't always go so well, which is why you do not see a post of the Franklin Park Zoo. I will not go into it, it was not the Zoo's fault. It was a lovely day at the Zoo (Monday's in November are the best, and that baby Gorilla was awesome). It was just a bad day for all involved. But, we decided to try again today. And, I am glad we did.
The Aquarium angers me. It is SOOOO Expensive. It is smelly. It is tiny. It should be AWESOME! We live in New England! And yet, all other city's aquariums it seems are awesome. Politically speaking they wasted a ton of money on an Imax which no one goes to - a furniture store has an Imax. Let's stick to wowing us with the fish. Anyway. I became a member last year because I thought we would go there all the time. We did try to go a few times, not enough to justify the membership and each time we were there is was a crowded mess. We went mid-week! But school group after school group took up the place. It would take a good five minutes to wait to get to go up to a tank.

So, I braced myself for what to expect today. But, the place was empty. We actually got to go into the touch tank and Jellies rooms - which you are normally not allowed in with a stroller. I was told - Mondays are so empty we always allow strollers. Wow! Good tip (and thus I share it with you). Joel Andrew wanted nothing to do with touching the Rays, I have a feeling that James Morris might be a little more bold when he gets older.

We did have a great time, seeing the sea turtles was a real highlight for Joel Andrew. He also loved looking at the penguins. For the sea lion area, the ramp and seating configuration were more interesting to him then the animals - and there was nothing I could do to get him interested in any of the fish tanks except for the massive center one. He kept saying: "Mommy, let's see something else." With that attitude, we blew through the place in 30 minutes... I managed to feed Baby James the bottle while Joel hung out in the small toddler play room, and then we were done. He enjoyed it and all, but it is dark, and I think all the zoo action I have been giving him with large animals has spoiled him... He would not even say hi to Dory!
So, we bailed. I got suckered into buying things at the gift shop - and then we needed to find lunch. Going to the street, I realized we are almost at Quincy Hall - so we went. And, Mommy got what she wanted (Indian food), and Joel got what he wanted (chicken fingers). We split a fruit cup. It was magical. We walked back to the Rose Kennedy Greenway and made an impromptu picnic right there. It is the BEST PLACE in the city to take a toddler for a picnic. Joel stayed on the grass, ate his lunch, and watched all the trucks, busses, trolleys, cars, motorcycles, biked, doggies, etc. walking by. Hours of entertainment. Baby James enjoyed getting out of his carriage, and the fresh air.
A quick walk down the pier to see the boats, and then we were back in the car where both boys slept the ride home. Delight! Mommy drove around a ton to let them have good naps... Not good for the environment, but good for Mommy's sanity!

Big Boy Bed

Yesterday, we did it. We took off the front of Joel's crib, and added the toddler rail. He is officially in a big boy bed. In the past, when we make big changes like this, I agonize over them for weeks. I research, ask every parent I know about what they did. Then, we talk it through with Joel, see what he says, and tweak where applicable. It usually turns out with him just going with it and me hyperventaliting for nothing. But, I previously felt that hyperventaliation was needed. Now, I do not. Two words why: Baby James.

It is becoming more and more clear to me that Joel Andrew is my easy kid. Want him to sleep through the night - cry it out and it is done. Want him to get rid of the binks? Just ask him to, he will throw them away for you. Don't want him to climb out of the crib? Just tell him it is not allowed. He does what he is told. Unless he has the evil eye and he purposely does the opposite of what he is told - but I can see that coming from a mile away so generally can put the kibosh on it.

Even if Joel does not like it, even if he whines a bit, as long as you explain why - he is in. Like tonight, I told him he can eat his peppers in his chair while watching Shrek. But he cannot bring them into the bed (in our downstairs guest/play/tv room). He freaked out. But after I explained "Ama and Grumpy and Nana and Pa sleep in the bed, and they do not want food in their bed." He totally got it. Either that or using the grandparent name card gets him.
So, how did it go, you ask? Totally amazing. It was only 1 night and morning, and we may be in for it tonight and tomorrow (and into the future). But the kid was exhausted and went to bed no problem. This morning he played in his crib/bed for 20 minutes before I went and got him. I am not sure he knows he can get out yet...

I will save my worry for when no-pay-attention-to-any-rules,-books,-advice Baby James is moving into the toddler bed, which will be a ton sooner because I am sure that kid is going to climb out the second he figures out how to - which is in a few weeks...

To Preschool, or Not To Preschool

Joel Andrew is in "school" three days a week now. We put him in when I was consulting, and kept him in through the birth and first few months of Baby James. Then we kept him in because it looked like I would be going back to work for a little bit. Now it does not look like I am going back to work, so what to do? Do we take him out? (I only say that half-heartedly, I love my days with just Baby James). But pretty soon is the preschool age...
Should we look for a more "formal" preschool program that is less-like daycare? Friends of mine who have been at home with their kids the whole time are all about looking for preschool now, which is why I bring it up. Should I look for a preschool? Or, do we have something good going? Joel likes it there, he seems to be doing well. We like the people, it is affordable. Hey, I may even put Baby James in there two days a week after he turns 1. One day with all of us, one day to myself, one day to Joel Andrew, and two days a week with Baby James. Sounds like stay at home mommy heaven to me.
I know, a little over the top. Maybe we should look for preschools? Those who have researched, what should I look for? I liked the idea of Montessori - and then a teacher friend almost had a heart attack and told me "montessori kids are the worst." Hmmm. I don't know!
Does it really matter now anyway? I think preschool is for early socialization, and Joel Andrew is already getting that... Hmmm.

Top Ten Things I Have Learned to Like Better with #2

I am continually amazed at how my perception of things has changed with Baby James. Things that Joel Andrew loved, or that I found convenient to use while dealing with him in all his baby-ness, have become completely useless with Baby James. Similarly, things that we totally ignored when Joel was a baby, have become totally useful with Baby James. Difference of baby personality? Of Mom's outlook? Convenience now that there is two? Who knows, but either way, I thought I would share some of these helpful wonders with you.

#10 - Burp Cloths. Someone made us a beautiful crab one for Joel Andrew, and I was perplexed. What is this small piece of cloth for? I put it to the side, and then the other side, and then in the "for the next kid" box. Glad I did because boy did it get mileage for Baby James. We use burp cloths for everything. They lined the stroller, our shoulder, they accompany him on car rides and he sucks on the ends. Now that he is taking the bottle they assist in dribble. We received some as a gift for Baby James, and I fell in love with this company (a Mompany, a woman who makes them by hand out of her house during nap time) and now buy them for all my friends (who I hope have come to understand their great usage!).

#9 - Books, the chewy kind. Baby James loves books! He loves toys. He loves playing with anything. Which is quite a marvel because besides the excersaucer and bouncer, Joel Andrew was not really a fan of anything except for you. So, it is nice to have a baby this time around that is fascinated with a ball, or could spend 5 minutes turning the pages of a book. A big thanks to my local Mom friends, they gave Baby James an Indestructible which he LOVES. I have to say though, he has pretty close to destroyed it he loves it so much... We may need to get another!
#8 - Jarred food. With Joel Andrew I was fanatical about making his baby food from scratch. I drove all over the place looking for organic fruits and vegetables and meticulously steamed and mushed tons of baby food, freezing some for later but mostly giving him fresh, delicious homemade food. I would not have it any other way, only the occasional packaged food when we travelled - but still even then found a transportation system for the fresh stuff. I drove my mother in law crazy when we went to Hilton Head for the week, so I could make fresh batches down there. Then came Baby James and I had the same intention. And a friend, who works for Earth's Best sent us a welcome package of baby food. What, I thought? Hmm, I guess we will have them on hand for travel..

Oh no, Baby James LOVES the food. I made him batches upon batches of fresh stuff, and he just wants the jars. I was offended and worried, but actually - depending upon the flavor here - the jars are better. The freezer burned baby food I made has inconsistent textures that throw Baby James off. He likes the smooth jar food, that actually tastes pretty good! It is organic, there are no additives, and it was made in (what we hope) was a very sanitary place - as opposed to my kitchen... So, we are jar people now with the occasional throwing in of a homemade item. Joel husband bought enough jars to last us four more children... And, I will save those frozen sweet potatoes for some Jessica Seinfeld recipes.

#7 - Powder Formula. With Joel, when we were forced onto formula - we went with the easiest thing possible. I was not going to be mixing and measuring. And, our insurance covered it so we got ready-made Alimentum in the can. Boy did that stuff stink. Really smelled. I hated it, I bought some for Baby James when we decided to start weaning him from the boob and just the look of the cans brought back bad memories. Since Baby James does not have any skin issues, he doesn't need the special formula - so we thought to try the basic stuff. Why not try powder? Oh boy - so much better! We even found single serve packets so that you can throw those in your diaper bag instead of heavy cans. Just add water! Revolutionary, I tell you.

#6 - This isn't so much I didn't want to label things before... But more so a friend recommended this cool product and we have found it to be awesome, so I thought I would share. Name Bubbles. I got the starter kit with "J.Williams" so it would apply to both kids... And now I am kind of like the crazy man from the Brother P-Touch commercials and I want to label everything. The labels do not come off, and are great for the water bottles Joel Andrew takes to daycare, his clothes, all sorts of things. I still have a Paula Abdul towel (can you imagine how much it is worth on eBay - from her Straight Up days), from when I went to sleep away camp years ago - that still has my name ironed into it. I have a feeling the boys might have the same in a few years, a little monster with "J. Williams" identifying things are theirs forever.

#5 - Boogie Wipes. For the first few colds of Joel Andrew's life, I would use a regular tissue, damp paper towel or sometimes a regular baby wipe to wipe his nose. He would scream in pain, as all this violent constant wiping (violent because he moved so much) led to a chapped nose, which led to more resistance, which led to more violent wiping. It was a vicious cycle. But, I would not fall prey to marketing schemes of buy this wipe for this use and that wipe for this use. Wipes are wipes I would say. But, oh no - they are not. One cold later someone lent me a boogie wipe. Joel Andrew would want another one and want to wipe his own nose. Soothing, boogies gone. Now we have a huge canister of it and I have them in my purse, car, kitchen drawer, everywhere. Never say never Moms.
#4 - Diapers.com. People have told me about this for ages, but we just did BJs for our diapers, and I would go to Babies R' Us or do free shipping through my Amazon account for other items. But - I finally went on, and Diapers.com was cheaper than BJs for diapers and wipes! And was certainly cheaper on MANY items (like boogie wipes) than Babies R us. Free shipping, I ordered it and it was here in two days. No need to go to the store, not getting sucked into buying other things I do not need, no lugging big heavy cases of diapers, wipes, formula, etc. in and out of the car, it was a great plan. Not sure if it is good for the environment though...

#3 - DVR and On Demand. With Joel Andrew I watched all seasons of Lost, again, on DVD. All of them. I thought I would do the same with James, but not so much. Since this booger keeps me in bed at a very early hour every night, our new big thing is to watch primetime shows, during the day. Our new favs include Pan Am (though I am getting a little sick of one of the main plots) and Once Upon a Time. Even Dancing with the Stars is just as good the next day. Nighttime is for reading and sleeping now!

#2 - Car DVD Player. I know, gasp! How could you let your children watch movies in the car? But, I am famous for my outings with my children. And, we do not live in a convenient place. So, when we are on a trip longer than an hour - a movie is on. And, a toddler is quiet. Which also means, a baby can nap. And, Mom can drink coffee and zone out (except for the driving of course). I am now planning lots of trips into Boston - the zoo, Aquarium, etc - just so I can have those two hours of strapped in quiet time. Is that bad?

And the #1 thing that has been an awesome help and addition since having two kids:

My iPhone. Enough said.

The Gymboree Dilema

As you know, I have been bringing Joel Andrew for a very long time to Gymboree. I decided that I needed to do the same for Baby James so I signed him up for classes too. On the days Joel Andrew is at daycare, I take Baby James, it is our bonding time. He loves the bubbles and parachute - but I love the fact that it forces me to pay attention and have fun with him. Something I have a hard time doing when there is errands, or his brother around.

Joel Andrew goes on Friday, and so far it has worked out that I wear Baby James in a bjorn. But, Baby James is getting bigger and I am not sure how much longer I can do this. So, I found out there are family classes, for both siblings. Great so that I can go with the both of them, but bad as my one to one attention is gone. Also gone, the age appropriate gearing of the "lessons."
Well, I thought, what does Joel really need anymore other than a chance to get out and do something new, hang out with friends? That is what this is... how much is he really learning? But that is wrong, he is just getting to the point where the classes can really help him to learn and be creative. So, that is a bummer.

Also a bummer? Let's say I went to family classes. I would only get one family class a week, and no more Baby James and me time. Once you are subscribed to the family class, that is your tuition for both kids. So, we go from two classes tailored to their learning ability, to one. Not sure if that is worth the almost $100 a month.

Do I remove Joel Andrew and just take James so we can still have 1:1 time? Do I continue to pay and do the family class? I wish we had family closer so that someone could watch James while I took Joel Andrew...

Baby James

Just because these photos are so cute. Here is Baby James, 9 days shy of 6 months old!

His new "big boy" room. I got tired of the hand-me down green gingham from Joel Andrew's nursery. We went full-on with the pirate theme. Notice the extra black out curtains to aid in sleeping...
Mr. Handsome, no? He is sitting with his new favorite thing, Books. The kind you can chew and slober on.
Quite the man. Breaking hearts already! Now I really should post about my other son sometime soon...