01-31-15 I Want To Go Home

"I want to go home."

He says this each morning as he props his little elbows on the window sill and stares down at the parking lot below. "I miss the farmhouse."

Big E was six months old when we moved into the farmhouse. It is the only home he remembers, and right now he misses it. I once heard someone say 'the barefeet of a child touch the ground and that ground becomes sacred to him.' He will adjust and he will come to love the new house. Likely when he is older, he won't even remember the farmhouse, but for now, it is still sacred. 

Of all of us, he is definitely having the hardest time adjusting. He gets sad easier, (he is usually my happy kid) and he has been needing much more attention and affection. The world is a big place for a two year old and his life just changed drastically. 

We finished at the farmhouse today. Everything is out. Finally. I stepped out its door for the last time. I'll be honest, it was a unique experience living there. The first six weeks we lived there, there was no hot water. I would boil water on the stovetop and pour it into the bathtub to wash my hair and bathe. We caught moles and snakes in the basement. We had a stink bug infestation that resembled a biblical plague. At times I felt like a pioneer woman, like I had stepped back in time. It was such an odd experience, but I am grateful to have had it. :)

&

All snuggled in bed for story time.

Today was our nephew's first birthday party. Happy Bithday J!!

01-30-15 I Miss You

"I miss you!!" 

That's the first thing that Big E said as I walked in the door this evening. He ran across the living room and flung himself towards me. "I missed you, mommy." What a sweet welcome. 

With two days of work under my belt, it's good to be home again!

Selfies!

01-29-15 Familiar

Last night I told C that with her help I was sure we could get the boys out the door this morning with no problem! She gave me a huge grin and a high five. This morning we delivered! They woke up thirty minutes early with smiles on their faces. While I fed the baby, C helped with getting E completely dressed and his teeth brushed. I was so proud of her as I listened from the next room. When she was done she paraded her little brother in front of me to show off her accomplishment. I was certainly impressed. There as no arguing to get shoes and coats on, no dragging of feet, no fighting. It was smooth. The only hiccup was when I got Baby E fed, changed, and dressed and he promptly threw up all over himself and me. Fortunately I had the foresight to wait to get dressed until after he was in his cars seat. 

I'm not going to lie, though. Dropping them off was hard. I hated leaving them behind and I definitely teared up on the way back to the car. 

When I got to work I was surprised to find this in my office!

What a sweet thing to come in to find! There were also bagels from the Bagel Place (including my favorite, Old Bay bagel. So yummy!) I work with some pretty amazing people and it made walking into the office so much easier! 

The first half of the day was a slow start. My mind felt foggy and sluggish as it tried to piece together the information it was taking in. My fingers were stumbling over my keyboard and actions that used to be second nature took some time to recall. But after a few hours, my hands started to work on their own, taking familiar motions. My editing got a little faster and more confident. A few more days and I should be back to normal. 

My mother and her friend spent the day at my house doing more painting and organizing. Imagine my surprise and delight to walk in to find my dining room and kitchen all put together and dinner ready to pop in the oven!

Spending the evening with the kids was extra special as they excitedly recounted their day. Today really did go so much better than I had imagined. Our little family is very blessed!

01-28-15 Baby Jesus and the Hair Salon

Well there it is... Twelve weeks come and gone. Today has been good, but tainted by that achy feeling that something wonderful is about to end. I played longer, cuddled more, laughed often, trying to soak it all in. Tomorrow we get up while it's still dark and venture out in our different directions. I suspect there will be tears, but that's ok. In a few weeks we will be settled into our new routine and nothing will seem amiss. 

This morning C insisted that we pretend that baby E was baby Jesus. I was Mary. And she was a wiseman, but a girl. Instead of the traditional gold, frankincense and myrrh, she brought warm red water to pour over baby Jesus' head to cure his cradle cap. 

In the same spirit, this afternoon E wanted to play baby Jesus again and he wanted to be baby Jesus. However C wanted to play hair salon. The compromise was that I would be Mary and I would bring baby Jesus to the salon with me while I got my hair done. Everyone wins. 

If you think of us tomorrow, whisper a prayer that this transition will go smoothly. Thanks!

01-27-15 The Kids

As I walked through my house this evening I felt something I had been longing to feel... Progress.

After multiple loads of laundry and lots of folding, the dressers are filling up and floor space is returning. 

Today was a rough day. I strained my back/neck this morning and could barely move. The kids were good to play by themselves as I rested but this afternoon all bets were off. There was a lot of whining and picking on a each other and not a lot of listening. They must feel the change coming because today they were all over the place. 

But instead of sitting here being frustrated with them, I want to take a moment to tell you about my children. 

First there is C, a definite born leader. At four years old she is fiercely independent and wants to prove she can handle life on her own. She isn't quick to ask for help and often works through her problems. She thinks princesses are real and something you can grow up to become. She is observant and always has a question that needs an immediate answer. She loves to tell jokes, play house, and name every imaginary animal or friend Elsa. Empathy is not her strong suit, but she can be compassionate when she really stops and notices those around her. Her greatest dream is to be a mommy. Her smile is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. 

Next, Big E- at two (almost three) years old he is the most compassionate and generous little kid I have ever met. He is the first to share his toys or food. He worries constantly about his sister and wants to make sure that she is happy and safe. He is quick to give hugs, kisses, and cuddles. He is sensitive and caring. He is not as bold as C, but he can play more independently. He wants to work with tools when he grows up and wants to work at the shop with daddy. He cannot help but laugh when he is tickled, no matter his mood and he has the absolute best laugh. 

Baby E is starting to form his personality. At nearly twelve weeks old he is becoming more interactive and social. He likes to be around people and he begins to fuss when he cannot see anyone. He smiles when he sees you. He is a good sleeper, loves his paci and seems to enjoy his siblings.

Sometimes parenthood can be a frustrating experience. But when I stop and really look at my children, look past the sticky hands, the alligator tears, and the impromptu tantrums, I see unique, amazing individuals that God has blessed us with to prepare and train and encourage into adulthood. 

01-26-15 Adventure

I woke the kids up this morning and told them we were going on an adventure but I wouldn't tell them where or who would be joining us. They were very excited when we met up with Aunt Jenn, Allie, and Josiah. after an epic struggle we managed to get all the car seats into one van and we set off on our way!

Ready to go! Even baby E fit in the row with the boys! 

Despite the sleet, we headed up to Bethesda to the Playseum. When the kids walked in they were so excited! The Playseum so divided into multiple themed rooms. Some are sponsored by local businesses like Safeway and Dominos. And others are rooms geared toward dressing up or crafts. They have an animal room with bunnies and birds. There's a fire truck room, a travel room and a grandma's attic. There are so many different things the kids can explore and have fun with. 

It's hard to focus on lunch when there is so much playing to do!

Time to make pizza!

The boys loved the fire truck.

They all enjoyed grocery shopping.

Dressing up was fun!

Petting the bunny. 

I will probably post more pics tomorrow because I took a ton! By the time we left the kids had had many adventures. C can't wait to go back! 

Exhausted!

We got home in time to sneak a nap in. I'm gonna miss my little napping buddy!

It was such a blessing to spend time with my sister-in-law and her kids! It's not often that I get to hang out with friends, so I was happy for the opportunity! It's wonderful that my kids have so many cousins that are so close in age and proximity. I love watching them grow up together! 

01-25-15 The Last Weekend

Well, the last weekend of my maternity leave has come and gone. I am so incredibly grateful to have spent twelve full weeks with my family. Thursday I go back, and to be honest I am starting to get a little nervous. The idea of getting three children and myself ready to go and out the door each morning by myself seems pretty overwhelming! I know it will take a couple of weeks to settle into our new routine and I just need to not be hard on myself during this transition. I had hoped to be more settled in our house before going back, but the timing didn't quite work out. That's alright, it will all come together! Also, I should seriously start doing some laundry because I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate me showing up in my sweatpants and t-shirts! 

I am looking toward to being creative again, to start a project and finish it with minimal disruption. No one at work will scream at me, or throw things at me, call me stinky face, or follow me into the bathroom. But, I will miss little hands in mine, baby coos, mid afternoon naps, spontaneous hugs, duck duck goose, and cuddles. I will have to stock up in the evenings and weekends!

Tomorrow if the weather holds I will be taking the kids on a little adventure... A last hurrah before I go back! Stay tuned!

01-24-15 Furniture is here!

Finally the furniture is here! I am so very excited about it. I should have spent the day unpacking, but as it is my last Saturday before I go back to work, I tried to take it easy and enjoy my family. 

Brothers. 

E has been sleeping on a cot since Baby E was born because I wasn't able to lift him into his crib after the C-Section. So tonight is the first night he is sleeping in his big boy toddler bed. It used to be C's but we pulled off the butterfly stickers and promised him he could cover it in Batman stickers. He was a happy boy!

Everyplace I have ever lived, I have lived near water. If I couldn't see it out my window, it wasn't ever more than 10 minutes away. Now that the bay is only a few blocks away, I'm looking forward to spending many evenings strolling on the boardwalk with my family! 

01-23-15 Neighbors

Remember when I wrote about those neighbors and the fact the police kept showing up. Little did we know that the first time we saw the police they were partly called because of us. Yes, you read that right... Us. As I recall that particular evening, Jenn and Steven were over helping us paint. At one point I ran to the grocery store. Tim ran to the farm house to get our toddler mattresses to sleep on. It was the first night we spent in the townhouse. However my recollection of the evening differs from the neighbor that called the police claiming that Tim and our next door neighbors (whom I have met twice and I can't even remember her name), were in the woods shooting air guns at her parked car. (Because we have nothing better to do with our time.)

Thankfully no one is taking it seriously, the police didn't even talk to us that night. They could probably see us painting away through the window. But I do wonder what the future holds now that we have become a target. I've never met her and it saddens me that she would be so aggressive and dishonest. What a sad way to go through life.

Today we made much more progress at the farmhouse. Tomorrow we unload all the big items here... Which means I will finally have my mattress!! A whole big mattress that I can stretch out on! At the farmhouse I had been sleeping on the couch since having the baby, so tomorrow night, for the first time in nearly twelve weeks, I will sleep in my bed!!! 

While Tim was over at the farmhouse packing this evening, I got to spend some time with my cuties. My favorite part of the evening was when the kids decided to read bedtime stories to baby E. 

When the kids went to bed, I started the task of sorting boxes and putting things away. The worst part about moving is that it will be months before I know where everything is and possibly longer to find a spot for it! 

This was after I had already started clearing things out. Yikes!

Ahhh... Much better! At least I can see the floor. There's a long way to go, but at least it is progress!