Party of 5

It's not even 8am and all three up my kids are up, changed, dressed, fed, and teeth brushed.  The littlest one is even back down for a nap in her very own room.  It's also not even 8am and my middle child has already removed 3 ornaments from the tree, chiding himself with a finger wave and a "no, no!" and my oldest is running circles around the house, trailing a string of broken Christmas lights, subsequently trapping his little brother in a mass of prickly bulbs.  *sigh*

Oh, Jack. I'm still waiting to decide if 3 years old is more difficult than 2.  It is certainly an interesting age.  Jack is saying EVERYTHING.  I love that we can have full conversations now.  Of course, they don't always make sense:

"Jack, why did you take your socks off?"
"Because I took my socks off."
"I know, but why?"
"Because I did." 

He loves his "pack-bag." Don't ask me why, it's almost always empty.

He's also picking up on everything we say.  He calls Julia "Sweetie" and says "Hey Sweetie, why are you crying?  It's okay, it's okay."  He calls Jude "Little Buddy" and says, "Hey Little Buddy, want to play me?"  He usually bursts into the room saying, "What's going on here?", responds with "That's a great idea!" when we mention something like eating lunch at Chipotle, and tells me at least once a day, "I getting very sick, Mommy."  (Usually right around the time he realizes he's the last one left at the dinner table.)  Some of the phrases I've been using all my life suddenly sound dumb when I hear them repeated by my toddler.  For instance, when I asked him (for the upteenth time) to finish his beans and rice he said, "You're killing me Mom!  You're killing me!"  Of course, it's fun to play around with a language-learning toddler:

"Jack, who's stronger - Mommy or Daddy."
"Mommy!"

"Jack, are you a boy or a girl?"
"I a boy, Mommy a girl."
"What makes Mommy a girl?"
"Her hair!"

And probably his most oft-repeated phrase is "I come baaaaccckkk."  He uses it when we bring him home from school, or when he's just gotten home from running errands with Daddy.  And then he usually reminds us that he went to Marmie and Poppa's house and Mommy, Daddy and Jude stayed home.  Dude, that was like 4 months ago.  Stop rubbing it in!

Always experimenting with his food ...

Of course, the 3's are definitely not without their difficulties.  We are having a very tough time with Jack's naps.  I guess he's finally figured out that we can't make him go to sleep.  But I can make him stay in his bed, and not move or talk ... for 1.5 hours.  You'd think he'd eventually drift off at some point, but no.  I'm lucky if I get 2-3 naps a week out of him at this point.  The other days he has to stay in his bed, with his head on the pillow, until Mommy says he can get up.  It wouldn't be so bad if he didn't need a nap every day but he most certainly does.  Because on the days he doesn't fall asleep he's usually an emotional train wreck by dinnertime.  And it's just slightly exasperating for those of us who must share a house with him.  The only good thing is that he's more than ready for bed at 7pm.  I'm really hoping this is just a phase and we'll get back to more consistent naps soon because 12:30-3:30pm is my most favorite time of the day!

Jack has officially "thinned out."  Like me, I know you've all been waiting for this moment.  :)  In fact, for the first time since his very early weeks, Jack's in the same size clothing as his age.  But it won't be long.  Some of his size 3 shirt sleeves are getting short and he often tells me his tummy hurts if his pants are buttoning too tight.  I'm still not quite sure where my little giant came from...

It's unfortunate that Jack's the big guy and Jude is so tiny.  If it was the other way around they might be a good match for each other.  As it stands now, poor Jude is so easily outmassed.  But that doesn't stop him from trying.  Our middle child has spunk!  I've caught him on several occasions actually instigating a fight with Jack.  He never wins, but he seems to enjoy a good spar.  So much for my sweet, sensitive boy.  Actually, some people like to warn me that Jude will likely be my "strong-willed child,"  I suppose every parent should expect one of these.  I thought we had already determined who that would be in the family.  But let's just say Jude has been throwing down some fits that we've never seen before.

When he doesn't get his way (say when Mommy is feeding the baby and can't hold him) he'll throw himself on the floor and scream and kick his legs.  And he'll keep it up until I intervene.  Yesterday he was face down on the floor for 45 minutes while I fed Julia.  He eventually stopped crying and just laid there.  And just when I thought he'd surely fallen asleep he started right back up again.  He's pretty easy to conquer though.  Once he gets my attention he's back to being a happy guy.  And if that's not available the next best thing is "the stool." 

Helping me make bread.  Except he pushed some buttons on the machine when my back was turned and a few hours later we ended up with whole wheat flop. :(

It's one of those three step stools that we keep in our kitchen.  The boys love it because they can stand at the counter with me while I cook or do dishes.  But Jude really likes it.  He's my kitchen boy.  He's perfectly happy putting silverware into the pitcher, army men into pots and pans, plates into the toaster (okay, I did have to put a stop to that one).  It's to a point where I can't even get a glass of water without Jude coming up behind me and saying "stooool?  stooool?"

Mixer?  Nah, that's a truck without wheels and with a long tail.

"Stool" is just one of his many words.  When he had his 18 month well-baby check-up the doctor seemed to be a little concerned that he only knew around 10 words.  Well since then his language has practically exploded.  Maybe I just wasn't paying attention a month ago.  But he says it all now.  And his voice is so, so cute!!  I'm most excited that he's finally picked up on the word "yes."  After months of hearing "no" to every question I ask, it's nice to get a resounding "Yesh!" every now and again.

Poor Jude is still very accident prone.  I used to always trip over him when I was pregnant and couldn't see past my belly.  Well now I tend to trip over him when we're walking out the door and I can't see over the carseat I'm carrying.  I always turn around to look for him right as he runs by me and then he gets whacked on the head with Julia's carseat.  But really, a tiny thump on the head is nothing compared to his more recent injuries - a blood blistered pinched finger, a gash on his chin from falling in the shower and a big, fat purple lip from being pushed down the slide too fast. Let's just say I've had to hold off on taking the kids' Christmas photo until Jude's face requires a little less digital editing.

Despite being on the receiving end of numerous injuries Jude is not very sympathetic to others, namely his baby sister.  It's like he's finally realizing he's a big brother.  We've gone from eye-poking attempts to whacking her on the head with toys.  And whenever I'm trying to feed her on the couch he crawls up next to me, steadies himself by leaning on my shoulder, and starts body slamming her with his belly.  When that doesn't work he swings his little leg up to kick her in the head.  He tries to do this every time.  I'm totally on to you Little Buddy.

Which brings us to the littlest one.  She's a survivor.  Everyone tells us she's going to grow up to be tough with two older brothers ahead of her.  She's certainly getting ample opportunities to practice already!  But for now I'm trying to keep her my baby for as long as possible. 

Can you believe it's been two months since we had a baby in a car?  Actually, I still can't believe we had a baby in a car period.  Julia weighed 11 pounds, 4 ounces at her check-up yesterday, which is the 50th percentile.  She's been there consistently since birth so that's always a relief to hear.  I was a little concerned she wouldn't be getting enough calories since she's been sleeping through the night for the past few weeks, but the doctor was happy with her weight gain.  So yes, she's still going strong with 9 hour stretches.  And some days I even have to wake her up to eat in the mornings.  I pushed her bassinet against the wall so she's not right next to me at night anymore.  Soon she'll be in her own room and before I know it she'll be off to college. 

But back to the here and now.  And here and now we have ... MORE BABY SMILES!

These aren't "just gas" or "smilin' in her sleep" moves, she genuinely responds to my crazy mommy voice now with a big, toothless grin.  I love 'em.  And cooing too.  It's simply the best.  And totally makes up for the fact that she's still fussy every evening, wants to be held, doesn't want me to sit down, gotta keep her moving and bouncing and swaying ...

And then there's us parents.  Jon has been dealing with a horrible cough and difficulty breathing for over a month now.  After missing several days of work off and on for the past few weeks, visiting the clinic on base three different times and finally driving himself to the emergency room after work yesterday, he's finally been diagnosed with walking pneumonia.  We're just relieved to hopefully have him on the mend now. He was supposed to fly out to Texas tonight to meet up with his sister and brother-in-law and help them drive their moving truck back to Pennsylvania, but had to cancel.  And I was supposed to take the kids up to Pennsylvania myself to visit my parents and meet Jon there when he arrived.  And that trip's been canceled as well.  Hopefully we can use this freed-up time to get our house clean and finish off Christmas projects.  A photo of the kids, for starters.  Now won't that be interesting - getting all three kids to look good for the camera at the very same instant.  As usual, will keep you posted!

Only a moment

It's official, we've entered busy season.  It's deadline time for my job, Jon's got a crazy amount of work trips over the next few weeks, not to mention all the holiday traveling we have between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  And the boys, well they're just always busy.  But somehow I've managed to squeeze in one small moment with the blog.  In other words, all three offspring are napping, at the same time.  Normally this would be a huge accomplishment but I couldn't get the prettiest one to sleep in her bed.  After several tries I gave up and tied on the Moby wrap where she's been contentedly breathing heavily into the phone while I talk to students and easily lulled back to sleep by the rhythm of me mopping the floor.  Oh, yes.  Other great accomplishment this week.  After a month of neglect, my floor is no longer sticky.  Too bad that will only last as long as naptime.  Meanwhile I'm going to enjoy my moment...

... And that's it.  The moment is over.  Girlfriend's awake and has been licking my neck, so the rest of this post will be typed with one hand.

Speaking of whom, don't you think she's changing her looks somethin' fierce?

Jon likes to say she's "getting cute" but I won't stand for it since that would imply she wasn't cute before.  She's simply the greatest.

I suppose you're wondering how I've managed to finally get her hair to stay down. Simple.  It's called "too busy to give the poor thing a bath" a.k.a. natural hair grease.  Works like a charm.

Anyway, we went to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving. This was actually my first time home for Thanksgiving since before I got married.  Marmie did not disappoint, and in typical Marmie fashion made plenty of extra for leftovers and doggie bags.  The boys also did not disappoint and were quite well-behaved at the dinner table.  Definitely something to be thankful for since mealtimes are often my greatest source of frustration these days.

And while we're talking about things to be thankful for - Julia's been sleeping 9 hours at night for over 2 weeks now.  The first two nights at Marmie and Poppa's were a little less than stellar but ever since she's been going strong.  I've never had a baby start sleeping through the night this early before.  Maybe she's trying to make up for all the gassy-issues and fussy evenings.  Either way, I'll take it! 

The kids and I actually headed up to Pennsylvania a few days before Jon.  Jack didn't have preschool the whole week and I was tired of managing things on my own while Jon worked late.  So I got a little assistance from the grandparents and Jon got to spend extra time at the office without feeling guilty.  I know some people think I was a little crazy for attempting a 200 mile drive all alone with 3 kids.  But I was desperate.  And actually, other than Jude's incessant whining, the trip went quite well.  We had to make one potty-break/baby-feed/diaper change/might-as-well-get-the-kids-snacks-while-we're-here stop.  And it ended up being at a shady diner off of Route 11/15 (the shadiest highway in the state in my opinion).  But the waitresses were very friendly and gave us an empty corner to stretch our legs in.

We made it to my parents in less than 4 hours and Julia only started to cry as we pulled onto their road.  Unfortunately, the drive back is a much, much different story.  I should've known better than to attempt a trip between 4-9pm.  Those are Julia's fussiest hours at home and they were no different in the car.  I ended up stopping every hour and being tortured by her cries in between.  Jon, on the other hand, got to enjoy a nice quiet ride all by himself in his own car, free from baby cries and Disney movies playing in the background.

But hey, it was all worth it to enjoy some time with both of our families.  My parents helped with kid-duties and I was able to get a lot of work done.  They took the boys to a big play castle in town on one day, and a children's museum on another.  And as usual Marmie cooked, Poppa entertained and everyone snuggled. 

We spent the second half of the week at Jon's parents.  And while I did not participate in Black Friday (just the thought of all those crowds makes me shudder), my mother-in-law did encourage me to visit the mall on Saturday.  She's very good at asking her son to watch the kids and taking me out shopping.  So I was able to get a few quiet hours to myself (well quiet when Julia wasn't hungry) and find something that fit to wear to Jon's class reunion that night. 

One final aspect of the holiday weekend was Julia's dedication.  It was so nice to get back to our home church on Sunday, it feels like it's been ages since we've been able to worship with our old church family.  It also feels like it hasn't been that long since we were there to dedicate Jude (I guess it hasn't!).  Baby Girl was so content and didn't make a peep.  And we were honored to have the same pastors that dedicated both Jon and I as babies do the same for our third child. 

It is now hours after I first started typing this.  My original moment is long gone, the nappers awoke, my freshly mopped floor was littered with sticky rice at dinner, Julia's been fed and burped and paced, and fed and burped and paced again.  And now I'm borrowing time from other tasks in order to wrap this thing up... And trying to add new meaning to "live for the moment."  Until the next moment!

Call Me Sisyphus

In Greek mythology, the prideful King Sisyphus was condemned to ceaselessly rolling a huge boulder up a mountain.  Each time he would reach the top, the massive stone would topple back down, forcing him to start all over again.  In this way, Sisyphus was destined to a life of futility and frustration.  It was the gods' reasoning that there is no punishment more terrible than hopeless effort.

Lately, I've been feeling a little like Sisyphus.

I wash the dishes.  Seconds later the sink is full again.  I do the laundry.  By the end of the day the baskets are overflowing.  I fix the decor.  Jude rearranges the candle sticks.  I mop the floor.  It's immediately  sprinkled with a trail of raisins.  I pick up the books.  I turn around only to watch them get tossed back off the shelf.  I clean out my email inbox and then hear my phone start buzzing the first moment I walk away.  I manage to squeeze in a shower and fresh clothes.  The baby spits up down my shirt and the boys wipe their noses on my pants. 

Futile effort.  And I've come to concur with those mythical gods - nothing is quite so frustrating.  But I've got one thing on prideful King Sisyphus ...

baby smiles!

And another thing too ...

grandparent visits!

They're catching leaves.

It's really much harder than you think.

Yes, every once in a while boulder and I reach the top of the mountain and get to hang out there for a bit and enjoy the view.

Julia has a Marmie moment.

Last week my parents came down to help us out a bit.  Marmie cooked meals, folded and ironed clothes, and took a late night shift with the baby.  And Poppa ran his bike taxi business to the park and back, and helped Jon gut out our back garage.  And I got to get a few things done and watch them stay done slightly longer than usual.

Marmie and Poppa stayed just long enough to get us back on our feet before heading back to Pennsylvania.  This past week we were on our own again, and what it a week it was.  The poor hubby has been suffering terribly from something way beyond a man cold.  He coughs and gags all night and then tries to sleep in the mornings.  Which means staying at work later to get things done.  Jude's canine teeth have finally made an appearance but the little dude is not happy about it.  He's very discontent right now, clings to my legs, and wakes up screaming in the night. 

He got his first sample of hot chocolate.

The whiny face.

And both boys were stretched to the limit this week by Mommy's overbooked schedule.  At one point Jack started crying "No more church Mommy, I don't wanna go!" when we were about to head that direction for the fourth time in four days.  I'm still testing my limits as a mama of three little ones, and this week I think I figured them out.  This week was just a little too much.

Time out for a hot chocolate "tea party."

This is how Jack and /i play Memory.

But one little person did perform well this week - Miss Julia.  Girlfriend slept 9 hours straight the other night.  Not last night, and not the night before either.  But at least one night this week.  And she's been going to sleep happily on her own in her bassinet, too.  I lay her down with her eyes wide open and listen to her coo and gurgle herself to dreamland.  So no more falling asleep holding a baby for me!!  I can tell we're on our way to something good here!  ... Just in time to get all out of sorts for the holidays.

I've got one more push to the top of the hill today.  One last maniacal effort to get things done because tomorrow the children and I are headed to Pennsylvania to take advantage of the grandparents again - all of them.  And aunts and uncles.  Jon's going to stay behind and enjoy working late to his heart's content.  And I am slightly jealous because I know he'll clean the house the moment we walk out the door ... and then get to relish the house staying clean for several days.  I haven't got to experience that sort of satisfaction since 2008. 

Instead I will be setting aside my boulder for a few days and enjoying the peacefulness that always comes with a trip to Pennsylvania.  And all the excitement that comes with bringing a baby "home" for her first visit.  Happy weekend to you, enjoy the view from wherever you are on the mountain!

The Military Wife

I was going to write a post about not having time to write posts ... but I just don't have any time.  So instead, I thought I'd share this little ditty about The Military Wife that one of my friends posted on Facebook.  It totally resonated with me as I'm sure it will with other military wives.  And for those of you who are not married to a serviceman, this may help you understand us a little better too.  After 5 years of marriage I'm still learning and adjusting to this culture, but despite all the challenges I'm honored to "serve" alongside my Handsome Coastie!

August 2005, the day after I agreed to become a military wife.

The Military Wife
by Jane Hubbard Hyde

Lots of moving...
... ... Moving...
Moving...
... Moving far from home...
Moving two cars, three kids and one dog...all riding with HER of course.
Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house;
Moving curtains that won't fit;
Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.
Moving away from friends;
Moving toward new friends;
Moving her most important luggage: her trunk full of memories.

Often waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting for housing.
Waiting for orders.
Waiting for deployments.
Waiting for phone calls.
Waiting for reunions.
Waiting for the new curtains to arrive.
Waiting for him to come home,
For dinner...AGAIN!

They call her 'Military Dependent', but she knows better:
She is fiercely In-Dependent.
She can balance a check book;
Handle the yard work;
Fix a noisy toilet;
Bury the family pet...

She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes;
Sell a house;
Buy a car;
Or set up a move...
.....all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.
She reinvents her career with every PCS;
Locates a house in the desert, The Arctic, Or the deep south.
And learns to call them all 'home'.
She MAKES them all home.

Military Wives are somewhat hasty...
They leap into:
Decorating,
Leadership,
Volunteering,
Career alternatives,
Churches,
And friendships.
They don't have 15 years to get to know people.
Their roots are short but flexible.
They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other:
They connect over coffee,
Rely on the spouse network,
Accept offers of friendship and favors.
Record addresses in pencil...

Military Wives have a common bond:
The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands; his commitment is unique.
He doesn't have a 'JOB'
He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit...
He's on-call for his country 24/7.
But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town!

His language is foreign
TDY
PCS
OPR
SOS
ACC
BDU
ACU
BAR
CIB
TAD
ABU
And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long- distance link to keep them informed;
the glue that holds them together.

A Military Wife has her moments:
She wants to wring his neck;
Dye his uniform pink;
Refuse to move to Siberia;
But she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days,
A travel brochure,
A long hot bath,
A pledge to the flag,
A wedding picture,
And she goes.
She packs.
She moves.
She follows.

Why?
What for?
How come?
You may think it is because she has lost her mind.
But actually it is because she has lost her heart.
It was stolen from her by a man,
Who puts duty first,
Who longs to deploy,
Who salutes the flag,
And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military Husband,
She will remain his military wife.
And would have it no other way.

Youthful Purity

We decided to name our third child and first daughter "Julia Katherine."  

As you may have noticed, we're kinda on "J" kick.  It wasn't intentional, but now we feel quite stuck in our ways.  "Julia" was the name we had picked out if Jack was a girl, and we've held on to it ever since.  It's a good example of how my husband and I work through our differences.  See, I had a list of favorite girl names for a long time:  Vivienne, Claire, Elivia, and Leah.  I've always liked Leah but didn't like the meaning.  But Jon didn't like any of my names, he liked Julie.  So we decided to compromise and go with "Julia" a combination of our two favorite names.  And then I could call her "Lia" as a nickname.  I actually haven't called her Lia yet, but there's still plenty of time for that.  Jude, on theo ther hand, has given her his own nickname - "Yaya."  And because it's so cute we all tend to follow suit.

Image from: http://www.babynamewizard.com/

I mentioned why we chose "Katherine" as a middle name a few months ago when I wrote about my grandma.  G'Ma passed away this June, before she had a chance to meet her first great-grandaughter.  But at least she knew ahead of time about our plans to honor her.  G'Ma was a beautiful woman inside and out, and along with my mom and Aunt Janine, my daughter and I are proud members of this growing line of godly women.  Julia has quite a legacy before her.

Name meanings are important to us - Julia means youthful, and Katherine means pure.  And I think the combination is perfect for our little girl. Even though she's only been with us a short while, my prayer for our sweet daughter is that she'd lead a life of purity.  So the scripture verse I've chosen for her is Psalm 119:9 "How can a young [woman] keep her way pure? By living according to Your word."  I'm not sure if a mother could hope for more than that.

Image from: http://www.babynamewizard.com/

Our little lady has only been in our arms for less than 6 weeks.  But she's been in our hearts for so much longer.  And the boys, Jon and I couldn't be more proud of our Julia Katherine.  She's the perfect addition to our family!


You can read about how we came up with Jude's name here, and Jack's name here and here. 

Take your leaf

I was watching a movie recently that took place in early 20th century England.  A working-class attorney was having a conversation with a wealthy relative of the nobility and mentioned working on the estate during his "weekend."

"Weekend?" the Dowager Countess replied, "What's a weekend?"

Oh, to wonder what a weekend is.

Well, around here we are well aware.  Just because I'm home all day during the week doesn't mean Saturday and Sunday are like any other day.  And just because being a mom is a 7 day/week job doesn't mean we can't switch things up a bit on Saturdays and Sundays.  Naturally, I don't get to sleep in anymore (especially not the weekend of Daylight Savings Time), but even that I don't mind so much.  We all get up together, Jon usually throws the boys in our bed to "wake" me up and then we have breakfast and hang out in our jammies a little longer than usual.  Ant then, then the fun begins.

But the very best part of the weekend is having Daddy home.  Unfortunately, this time of year we have to share him with football ... and yard work.  I mentioned that our yard is my most favorite part of this house.  I just love all the trees.  I also mentioned that we were slightly dreading the upcoming fall and leaves from said trees.  Well our fears were confirmed.  Some days it looks like we're in a leaf blizzard.  And all those beautiful colors have been piling up on our lawn for several weeks now.

It's a good thing my hubby was prepared for this battle because it's not for the faint of heart.  One leaf blower and one leaf vacumm/shredder/chipper thingy-majig later and we have a lovely clear lawn ... at least for the next 24 hours.  We also had one heck of a pile of leaves for the boys to jump in.

And by boys I mean all 3...

I once read that at around 18 months of age boys start to be drawn more to their fathers.  We noticed that a little in Jack but it's very obvious with Jude.  He is all about Daddy these days.  And he gets even more excited about Daddy when the tools come out, mainly the leaf blower.

Jude goes all Marilyn Monroe when he sees this thing.  He loves to stand in front of it and get blown away.

Of course, he follows Jon like a shadow all around the yard.  And then Jon doesn't see him and ends up tripping over him and the leaf blower starts blowing in all sorts of different directions ...

Ah the weekend.

This one had a good weekend too.

Julia's knits by Nana!

She was totally unphased by the time change. But really, there's not much difference between 2 and 3 when they both take place in the AM.

Lucky us, we've had what you could call an extension to our weekend.  Because right now Marmie and Poppa are here lending a hand (or 4) with life and the kids so I can get caught up on other things.  Like laundry.  Which is what I should be doing now.  Ta-ta!