2 months!

3 days

2 months

2 months of this little love/joy.  Ari has become my happy place.  He's such a sweet one and delish-ness and chill and smiley and I love him and I love him.  Of course he's with me All times and Every where but he also eases into a bouncy chair with little fuss or fury. 

He makes me a better version of myself, of being a parent.  One look from those pouty lips or sigh from his big blues he melts all of those whose blood runs red...

I love his little ways of communicating, the subtle gestures and looks and tone of cry or voice.  I can tell he has grown to know and trust me.  We're a total team.  He eases easily and our nights have been running smoothly (knockknock).  Some nights he sleeps from 9p-3a, others he'll awaken sooner. But it's all business and then he's back to sleep. He seems to get that the night is kept quiet...

I'd like to think I'm getting my groove with these boys...

october bare sand feet

3 sets of feet for now in the sand



for now he sleeps attached



I look forward to seeing the brothers playing in the sand...four sets of feet to come........

Serenity Farm, October 14, 11am

It's that time o' year again!  Hayrides, pumpkin picking, and pet your local four-legged farm livin' friends...




Crisp, fresh air, big blue skies, and...

 


Um...
There's about a hundred different captions I could put here, but I'm a mother.
And a lady.
Ahem, yes...

 



Oh, hello, goat!

  




And like a good 3 year old, he bites his finger nails after petting the farm animals.
*sigh*






Then, with a sudden and a quick, a storm came through and our tribe of moms/dads/grandmas/kids found our way to dry land.

  


The kids didn't mind one bit that their field trip took a 30 minute hiatus for the storm to pass through

 



Soon enough we were back on the wagon (haha) with grandma!

 


After walking though "Kasper's Kastle" -themed with various Disney characters...



...we walked through the hay maze finding our way to the...



pumpkin patch...

 Happy Autumn!

Ari talks! (sort of)

Hey, you, lady with the camera!  Back it up, will ya, or you'll get a punch to the face!



Hey!  What's over there?  A wall?  Why don't you take a picture of THAT?!



YAWN.  So bored with this!  Where's my big brother?



Seriously...can you put me down on the bouncy seat or something?  I'm *totally* all set here.



Yay!  Let's clap for big brother!



That 3 year old never stops moving, does he?



week 5 of the Ari



a tad less floppy: building some muscle for the inevitable:
The Sit Alone/The Unassisted Sit




Pretty much his favorite position: On mommy with easy access to breakfast/lunch/dinner/late night snacking.




I apologize for the silly, generic, stereotypical boy onesie. Blech...
but LOOK AT THOSE EYES!




The Mad Family Four on a Ferris Wheel -go 'round and 'round.
(stopping by the county fair)




"Hey guys, look at mama!  SMILE! I SAID LOOK AT MAMA! OVER HERE!"
click...




CLOTH DIAPERS!
It's a bold move, baby!

We have taken la plunge! As each diaper and its accessories (12 diapers, 1wet bag, detergent, inserts) arrived on our front door, the more nervousexcited I became about moving forward in the cloth diaper revolution.  And although, to date, it's only been a couple days I have to say I LOVES IT!  It's really not as hard/disgusting/time consuming as some would say it would be.  For me, what's another load of laundry?



there will always be laundry.
(Look at my cute sleeping baby!!)

  I'm so impressed with how clean they come out of the wash, how easy they are to use, and how much money we're going to save!  Oh, and one less diaper in the landfill...

In full disclosure, I am still using disposables at night.  This might change later...but for now it's just easier not dealing with the bulk and the snaps when you're half conscious...

In the next few weeks, I'm planning on switching over to reusable wipes as well.  Rumor is I can throw them into the laundry along with the cloth diaps.  Super easy, ya'll...

Who knew I'd be the co-sleeping, baby wearing, cloth diapering, breastfeeding mama that I've become?!  I certainly didn't set out to become a card carrying member of "Attachment Parenting" but HERE I AM!  Turns out this babe (and myself) are just a happier, calmer, more well rested (sort of ) unit than otherwise.  Bottom line is it works for our family and as individuals.  And that's how you get through the day.  And the night...so we're going wit-it.

beauty and the beast

It's safe to say this kid is going to break many a hearts. 
'Specially mines.
It's a curse to breed such good looking children...
le sigh...



Or maybe he won't be voted biggest flirt.  He'll be the class clown.
Most likely to make you laugh milk out of your nose...



for now, the superlative goes to...





most likely to be loved by his mama...
aww...



and on the otherside of the rainbow..
(friday 9/30/11, dusk)



there's a 3 year old who is going through some phases...up, down, twist and shout,
follow the unpredictable and colorful pathways...

 Some say the "terrible twos" others say "terrible threes."  We're on the terrible three team.

It's like "opposite day."  But everyday is opposite day.  And then when you give him what he asks for he cries about it and says he wants the other thing.  It's pretty fun.  Especially when you're up every 2 hours at night to nurse a floppy baby.

"Enjoy this time."

Oh I AM.

For example, it's saturday morning and I decide to take both boys to the library.  Dad stays home to get another hour of sleep.  After an hour at the library I ask Milo,

"Do you want to stay for storytime at the library or go to the playground?"

"I want storytime."

So he sits with a few other toddlers and grabs an egg to shake along with the music.  After a minute, he returns the egg and says to me,

"I want to go to the playground."

So we get in the car, I strap in a sleeping Ari.  I strap in a content Milo. I get in, put the car in reverse...

And guess what happens.

"I WANT STORYTIME!

STOOOOOOOOOOOOORYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY  TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME!!!!!!"

IWANTSTORYTIMEIWANTSTORYTIMEIWANTSTORYTIMEIWANTSTORYTIME!

WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

and then the baby wakes up.

And then there is synchronized crying.  It should be an Olympic event.  (parents of at least 2 children, can you feel me?)

I make the executive decision to NOT go to the playground.  NOT go back to library.  Sad children need to go home.
Fifteen LONG minutes later...we arrive home.  Crying/whining/screaming/end of the world noise is still full on.

The baby is soothed by nursing.  Milo, however, is sent to his room to continue his tantrum without an audience.  Not a time out, just time to vent his frustrations over being wishy washy and beyond reason and completely ridiculous. I suddenly hear banging and kicking on the walls and punching/banging on a window.  Paired with blood-curling screams of anger.

Toddler rage issues are awesome...

I'm starting to remember why I picked up smoking again shortly after I gave birth to Milo.

And I really don't want to start smoking again...

Perhaps a precription for Ativan is in order...