Verbally Challenged

It was only a matter of time before I started taking photos of my little guy in his adorable cloth diapers. I was obsessive while pregnant, trying to find the cutest/best/most cost effective diapers for my little guy. I ended up getting a little bit of everything after reading that you shouldn’t invest TOO much in one particular type since all newborns are built differently. I never really experimented with Addy’s cloth – she is still only in two brands so it was fun shopping for Finn!

I wish that it were summer so he could sport the diaper itself with a little shirt it’s so cute! LOVE the little giraffes (FYI it’s a BubuBeBe)!

I should also mention that his face was so red from grunting on his belly before finally calming down for this shot.

And then a little Steeler love seems appropriate right about now. The L-man came home from school with a sweet handmade necklace:

(are you as tired of this pose as I am?)

Go black and gold! Cloth diapers too!

This past weekend was CHA (which is a huge trade show in the scrapbooking industry for those who may not know). Lots of new product is debuted and it’s just a good time (so much cool stuff to look at). This year I obviously didn’t go due to other demands. But last year we did and had an amazing time in Anaheim…well before Nate got the plague and landed on his death bed. Heck, it’s Anaheim in January and it’s next door to Disney…good times!

Anyway – maybe next year…ok…maybe next next next year.

Well Sassafras Lass asked if I wanted to create a couple of pages for them using some of the new papers. Um…YEAH! But I’ll tell you, the pre-show design timeline is always CRAZY!!! Add a new baby, two other kids, a husband, animals and house that could probably go up in flames if you light a match too closely do to the amount of CRAP, dust and stuff inside of it (since mama can’t find time to clean) and these are two miracle layouts. I’m. Not. Kidding.

Wait, I forgot to mention the weather and the fact that you can only reach my front door via snowshoes or a pair of ice skates. UPS called me one afternoon and said they flat out couldn’t deliver my package…my precious paper package that I needed to design for the show. So a new address and 36 hours later I got said package and had 24 hours to design. And can I just say that I’m SLOW and couldn’t design within 24 hours pre-baby number 3?

I call these two layouts miracles. Truly. And thankfully, hubby took over the kiddos on his own in the evening after dinner. And then he managed the baby in the evening/early night while I spent time in the studio. The evening/night time where I usually pass out on the couch (usually with the baby). I gave up sleep! HUGE! But it felt amazing to be doing something artistic again. I only wish that I had time for more right now.

My first Finn layout:

And my amazing older boy:

And that’s all for today.

Today I feel like I’ve earned a big ol’ gold star for my forehead!

I’ll be honest, when I woke up this morning (silently cursing) after very little sleep and a stiff back I was less than enthused to hear about a school cancellation. That meant a tired me alone with three kids and the four walls that are my house. Not good.

But you know, it was a great day! I’ve come to learn that my six year old can be mighty helpful. And it helps that the two year old adores him. They play really well together, usually, freeing me up to play supermom which is great for my ego!

So instead of dressing a doll 8000 times (usually 1 handed), doing puzzles, building towers and having tea parties – I watched the kiddos laugh and smile. Finn did too so I did a little photoshoot.

But he became bored with it all quickly,

And off to sleep he went,

Which gave me time to make lunch…er…have the kids make lunch. Pizza!

Addy’s was shaped like Africa (according to Liam).

And his was a triangle:

And don’t forget the cheese:

Addy thought this was sufficient (and ate the rest of her cheese):

And that was lunch. We played more in the playroom, I got some laundry done, photos dumped, some edited and even made these:

I made both frostings…the chocolate less than stellar. Anyone have a good chocolate frosting recipe?

And that’s all for today! I’m secretly hoping for another day off tomorrow! Did I mention that we syaed in our pajamas all day? Ahhhhhh, good stuff.

Today my littlest guy is one month old. One. Month. Old. Already.

He’s thrilled, no?

And when I shared this information with his order brother he responded, “but do we get cake?” That’s how a six year old thinks I guess.

This is a photo from today snapped before it got dark. I still shake my head at how similar he looks to his big brother. I love the big squishy lips. He’s awesome.

Here’s another one – I should have turned him though to get more light in his eyes – ah well.

And so what does Finn do now at one month? Well…not much. He eats a lot (every 1.5-4 hours), he poops a lot (it seems like every 5 minutes), he likes to look at light and sleep (not always at night though). We’re up a lot at night but not ALL night. He only cries usually for food or help getting to sleep. He’s not a terribly fussy little guy. He’s a really good baby….so far.

And the answer to the six year olds question? We didn’t have cake. I probably could have made one if I didn’t spend the morning at the doctors office having Addy diagnosed with a sinus infection and double ear infection. Grrrrr. Maybe tomorrow. Finn won’t really know the difference, you think?

We haven’t seen him around much…unless you count yesterdays photo from 2006 (in which case I have a lot of those).

And if you look at his face you’ll see why. That is the “do I really have to stop what I’m doing to look at you face” – I get it often. Aren’t they supposed to get easier as they get older?

I’ll admit that I’m really really really bad with tags sometimes. I always have the best of intentions but the email gets lost and I forget…or I simply just forget. But this one is easy which is KEY right now for me! SO…this tag is for a “Sixth Photo” meme. And I was tagged by Barb who by the way has a super fun blog (she’s a great artist) and posts yummy recipes periodically.

Here’s what you do……..

* Go to your Picture Folder on your computer or wherever you store your pictures.
* Go to the 6th Folder, then pick the 6th picture in that folder.
* Post that picture on your blog and the story that goes along with the picture.
* Tag 6 other people that you know or don’t know to do the same thing and leave a comment on their blog or an e-mail

The picture folder thing was a bit tricky for me as I’m beyond organized with my photos. In 2006 I started keeping track of my exported photos by the year…and within it the month…and within that the day. So I had to pick a year first before I could get into the sixes. So I picked 2006 (trying to be clever with the six) and came up with this one:

Liam was three and a half, Audrey was four. And they were outside playing with daddy after work – like they do everyday when it’s warm outside. If I remember correctly, Nate was off retrieving a ball in the woods…wonder if he knew he was being watched? And then he was taking the ball and throwing it while Liam and Audrey raced to see who could get it first. Good stuff. Good memories. And definitely, a fun tag.

So I need to tag some others now…another thing that I’m really really bad with. But here goes: Mel, Torm, Becky, La, Kayla, and lastly anyone else who wants to play along!!! I can’t wait to see the photos and hear your stories!

I haven’t done one of these in a while and don’t want to neglect the other kiddos!

Today the princessa is 2 years and 1 month (plus one day) old. And she is still an absolute (and very opinionated) joy!

Some stuff about her:
Love how she says “what’s that?”
and “where’s mommy…daddy…wee-am (aka Liam)…or Finner
Loves her dolly and mimics what I do with Finn
prefers wearing slippers to socks
is very sensitive and cries when scolded
enjoys having ponies, bows and flowers in her hair
Is the resident doctor (Dr. Addy) and checks everyone with her stethoscope (dolls and animals included)
loves to snack
loves to eat…especially whatever we’re eating
strips a dolly of clothes in seconds flat…if it were an olympic sport she’d totally win!
loves to cuddle
doesn’t care for television…unless it’s jon & kate plus eight….then she likes to “see the babies”
Enjoys singing (much like her older brother). We hear “Ring around the rosy,” “Rain rain go away,” and “Up on the housetop” regularly. It’s adorable.
Says “ta-da” for just about anything.
Dresses her magnetic dolly and says “preeeeeetty” – so cute!
Loves holding Finn, she’s very gentle.
Will repeat a question 1000 times until she gets an answer…or at least hears what she wants
OR 2000 times if you don’t understand what she’s trying to say.
Can spend hours in her play kitchen cooking and washing dishes (she definitely didn’t learn that from me).
Sleeps with no fewer than five dolly’s at a time…and they’re all naked
But she sleeps…and well.
Loves to draw, string beads and play with play-doh.
Heck she’ll play with just about anything.
Smiles a lot.
Laughs a lot too.
Asks for diapers changes…”change youuuuuuuu”
Could probably be potty trained if I felt like dealing with it (she’s interested, I’m not)

She also enjoys (usually) getting her picture taken…dressing up too. Tomorrow that could change- she IS two after all!

So that snowy play I mentioned we did on Sunday? Here it is captured by my film guy.

Enjoy!

Snowday from nathan kress on Vimeo.

Four of five family members have an evil head cold.
Having babies in the winter months is not a good idea – especially with an older child in school bringing home germs.
Nate’s in denial regarding sickness so it may be 5/5 family members soon.
It’s unfair for moms to get sick…three week olds too.
Puff’s with lotion needs more lotion.
I just threw out the gingerbread house today.
The dog ate our first gingerbread house.
I need to watch when Finn is sleeping and Addy is eating goldfish. She tried “sharing” one with him today while he was sleeping with his mouth hanging open.
I need to vacuum.
Liam came home with homework today. Homework….already.
I have a sleeper Finner on my shoulder right now.
I’m good at typing one handed.
I didn’t do any cleaning today.
Did I mention that I need to vacuum?
My two year old was well entertained though.
I need to work on a CHA project.
Think I can cut one handed?

More later.

The old me…coming back. Since having the baby there have been a lot of adjustments (tired of hearing that yet?). I’ve been searching for balance, trying to get thing accomplished and feel a bit like the “old me” – productivity being key (and yes I know keeping kids healthy/happy IS productive – but I needed to get other STUFF done. I needed to get out into the public scene WITH kids, gain confidence, talk with other adults…GET DRESSED.

Saturday involved all of that. Liam had two birthday parties to go to (they’re literally every weekend this month) and I had a baby shower to attend. The baby shower was my first bit of adult interaction in a while. I loved it. Good mama to be, good company, good food…just really good. And the baby did amazingly well. And I drove. And I got dressed AND wore make-up. In fact, my husband didn’t recognize me before I left. I do believe that I’m officially the old stereotypical frumpy housewife (would throwing postpartum in there help?). It’s amazing what twelve layers of concealer can do – I looked REALLY well rested! And the purple circles under my eyes…poof…gone! I combed my hair too.

Today we got a lot of snow and didn’t leave the house. I got SO MUCH done…for me…mother of three. First off I canceled piano because we really didn’t need to be going out this morning. Instead we took the kids outside to play in the snow and had hot chocolate.

Addy thought that the snow was “cold and yummy”:

And kept daddy busy:

And loving every minute:

And despite the grumpy “aw mom get the camera out of my face” face:

He had a great time:

Other things that I accomplished today:
Cleaned the playroom
Edited some photos
Made lunch (with hubby)
Made corn chower soup for tomorrow
Took a nap…ah…bliss
Straightened up the counter (don’t ask)
Enjoyed my kiddos

I love coming back.