Getting Ready

Soooo much to do.  I've got lots of blogging topics piling up in my head, but just came on here to say that I don't have time to write about any of them! ha!

I've got laundry to do, presents to wrap, clothes to pack, food to make, and many, many, many, more various tasks in preparation for our 13 hour drive to CT on Wednesday!  YIKES!  Wish me luck.  I'll be back on here soon, I promise.

Amazed

We all have moments where our children amaze us.  Somehow, at Christmastime I find myself thinking of how quickly these little people in my house are growing up.  I can't help but think back to our first Christmas with Joey.  He was only 5 months old, just a little baby.  Remember this? He had no idea what the whole Christmas thing was about, yet Santa brought him loads of presents anyway.  We dressed him up in all kinds of "Santa Loves Me" outfits, took a million pictures, and felt truly blessed to finally have the baby that we had been wanting for so long.

Fast forward 2 years, and I still feel truly blessed.  But this post isn't about that.  This post is about how much changes in 2 years.  Joey is now a big brother.  He is potty trained.  He feeds himself, brushes his own teeth, and talks like a typical 2-year old.  He has his own idea about everything, and can't wait for Santa to bring him some new pens.  In just two short years, Joey has grown into such a little boy and I just can't believe it.

When Will It End???

Before I had Katelyn and Olivia people would ask me if I was planning to breastfeed them. My response was always indifferent, because I honestly had no idea what to expect with twins. I did not want to be one of those mothers who had both tits hanging out from under her shirt with a toddler sucking away on each one. (Sorry for the graphic description... I saw a picture like that in a LaLeche League Book for mothers of multiples... it scared me.) So anyway, I would always say something like, "Well, we'll see how it goes." or "I'm going to try." or "I'll nurse them for as long as I can." I truly did not expect to be nursing long, as we supplemented with formula right away and both babies took to the bottle easily. At first.


Somewhere around the 11-week mark Olivia decided she hated the bottle, but loved the boob. I mean LOVE the boob. This kid is a Momma's-girl to the 10th degree. In fact, before I actually sit down to nurse her in the morning she sucks on my neck or my shoulder while I walk around making my tea and getting Joey his sippy cup and Cheerios. It's like she can't wait to get a hold of it. She just loves nursing.

Roundabout September I was in dire need of a new nursing bra. All of the ones that I owned at the time were the ones that I used when I had Joey so they were pretty worn out. While on a trip to JCPenney I contemplated buying one. I did not really want to buy one because I was still hopeful that the kid would be on the bottle sometime in the very near future. But I broke down and bought one anyway. Good thing I did because I wear it almost every day. (Don’t worry, the washing machine is always running in my house so it stays relatively clean.) Well, today I got tired of only having one decent nursing bra so I went out and charged 2 new ones to my JCP credit card. They were only $15 each, so not a huge deal, but still. I can't believe that this kid is 8 months old and I'm out buying new nursing bras because she shows absolutely NO signs of weaning. NONE. Will I be nursing her past my intended cut off point (10 1/2 months)? You betcha. Will I be nursing her on her 1st birthday? Most likely. Will I be nursing her next summer? Oh my goodness I hope not, but probably.

Don't get me wrong. I love nursing my babies. I love that it's the one thing I can do for them that no one else can do. I love the convenience of it in that you don't have to mix formula, heat bottles, or pack anything extra in the diaper bag. I love the quiet calm that takes over a fussy baby when they snuggle up and latch on. I even (sometimes) love sitting in a dark room in the middle of the night with a sleepy baby nursing away. I really do. But after 3 babies in less than 2 years a girl needs a break. I need to feel like I can leave my house for more than a 3-hour window at a time. I need to feel like my body belongs to me and only me. I need to feel that my husband can put our children to bed without my boob help. But that day is probably a long time coming.

So in the meantime I guess I should just enjoy my new lingerie.  Even if it does have plastic hooks for easy access.

Solitary Shower

These days it's hard to do anything in my house alone.  More often than not, I'm followed just about everywhere by a little red-headed boy who wants to do everything I do.  I brush my teeth, he needs to brush his teeth.  I do the laundry, he needs to do it too.  I go to the bathroom, he needs to go too.  He pretty much loves to do anything I'm doing.  As you might remember from this post, he even likes to breastfeed his toys.  This happens all day long. 

Joey's latest favorite grown-up activity is showering. Someone in the house goes to take a shower, and he has to take one too.  Seriously?  I can't even shower alone anymore?  Since the babies were born showering has climbed the chart to one of my Top 5 Favorite Things To Do.  This is entirely because it used to be the few minutes a day that I could enjoy some peace and quiet and actually be alone.  No one attached to my chest, no one balanced on my hip, no one in need of a snack.  Just me, the steam, and good old Herbal Essences.  (I'm having visions of that old commercial with the Carole King song, are you?)

Anyway, a few months ago I started to take Joey in the shower with me once in a when he was in need of a cleaning and bath nights were few and far between.  Since then, his interest in taking a shower has more than peaked.  My husband and I actually have to spell s.h.o.w.e.r. to each other and discreetly leave the room in an effort to not be followed by the small red-headed energizer bunny otherwise known as our son.

Yesterday was no exception.  I made the mistake of announcing that I was headed for the shower, and Joey (who seemed like he wasn't paying any attention to us) popped up off the couch and said, "my shoor too Mom!"  I tried to divert his attention to the TV, I offered him a snack, I asked him to go find his Elmo toy.  None of these worked.  When I returned with his little bowl of goldfish, he was already pulling off the remaining clothes left on his body.  He stood up, completely naked, announced, "My shoor now, OK Mom!" and made a run for the bathroom before I had time to think of another reason why he couldn't come with me.

I hated to disappoint the little guy, so I grabbed a couple of tub toys, turned the water on, and put him in the tub.  So much for my few minutes of peace.  Guess I'll have to think of a new way to get a small amount of mommy-time.

Move Over Gerber, a New Biter Biscuit is in Town!

I've always enjoyed making my own baby food.  I don't always do it, but when I do I feel so good about myself as a mommy.  There's just something about making something for my little ones from scratch, not from a jar, bottle, can, or box.  So I've always been experimenting with different recipes, tastes, and textures for my babies.

8 months old is a great age.  The babies can now sit up in their high chairs and eat things like puffs, biter biscuits, toasts, and other exciting finger foods.  Why do I think this is so great?  Because it gives me a few minutes to get things done.  Like eat dinner.  And we all know how much I love anything that gives me an extra minute or two.

Katelyn is addicted to puffs.  Seriously.  I'm pretty sure that the child would sit in her high chair for hours on end as long as the tray continued to be replenished with a endless supply of puffs.  In fact sometimes I catch her almost doozing off before I shake a few more puffs onto her tray. 

Olivia likes puffs too, but has a harder time manipulating the tray-to-hand-to-mouth sequence.  Most of the time she just ends up with two fistfulls of puffs and she doesn't know what to do next.  She prefers to be fed the puffs.  How helpful is that?  I have to feed my child her "finger foods."  Hmmm... not really sure that's the arrangement I was going for, but whatever.

Olivia really loves the biter biscuits though.  She catches a glimpse of one of those and her little feet start kicking away in excitement.  And she knows just what to do.  Hold in hand, insert in mouth, and suck, suck, suck.  Did that sound dirty to you?  Get your mind out of the gutter.  We're talking about my baby here people... geesh.

Anyway, we are going through a ridiculous amount of puffs and biter biscuits these days.  (Partially due to the fact that Joey insists on having puffs and "baby cookies" as well.)  In an effort to save a little money, make less frequent trips to the baby snack-food aisle, and give my babies something that is natural and delicious I decided to try to make my own biter biscuits yesterday.  I tried this once when Joey was a baby and ended up with a chewy, bendable, flavorless, rubbery version of the beloved Gerber Biter Biscuits.  Nevertheless, I did a little internet searching and found something that sounded yummy for my kiddos.

It took me all of 15 minutes to whip up a batch of these bad boys, another 25 minutes in the oven, 10 minutes to cool, and voila!  I had myself 13 brand-spanking new biter biscuits that had a yummy flavor, perfect texture, and wholesome ingredients.  And all three of my kids thought they were fantastic.

By the way, I'm happy to share the recipe with anyone who wants it, just contact me and let me know you'd like it!