Of the Father of My Children

The other day, Emmett was having a bad afternoon.  It was one of those afternoons when he had woken just a little earlier from his nap than he should have.  And he was not happy about it.  

On these afternoons, his typical course of behavior is to cry about wanting to be held (and typically by whichever parent is busiest - "Is mom making dinner?  Then she must be the one to hold me - not Daddy, who is sitting on the couch waiting to snuggle.").  Thus, on this particular day, it was me, feeding Joey, who was the target of Emmett's needy nature.  

"I want Mommy!" he cried, as he sat on the toy box.  

Daddy, who had gotten home only minutes before the breakdown, knelt next to Emmett and to ask what was wrong and if there was anything he could do to fix it while Mommy was otherwise detained.

It was in that moment, Daddy kneeling in the glow of the afternoon sun streaming through the front door, face only inches from his teary-eyed son, speaking soft words of consolation, that I was grateful for the father I have in my husband.  

Neither of us is perfect - especially when it comes to parenting - but his moments of patience come when mine have run out, his horsey abilities far exceed my own, his shoulders were made for carrying toddlers and his prayers of protection over kids frightened by the dark (or pretending to be so Daddy will comfort them) are what make him the best father I could imagine for our beautiful little ones.

1,000 Gifts:

594. A little boy in overalls

595. Backyard time

596. Stirring of a heart's conviction

597. "It's my birthday!  I'm two!"

598. Learning a new game

599. Shrimp Scampi and Cheddar Biscuits from my own oven

600. Sharing videos with family far away

Daddy and his babies - Father's Day 2012

Daddy said to put on their angry faces - only Micaiah cooperated.

Silly face time.  I love the look Joey is giving his sister.

Still silly faces, only Micaiah's is downright creepy.

Of a Second Birthday Celebration

Today we celebrated Emmett's second birthday.  We let Emmett have his day a little early so as not to conflict with Daddy's day of pampering tomorrow.  I don't think Emmett was very sad about it.

I have, however, discovered that birthdays stress me out.  Even keeping things low-key as we do around here (mostly because I'm not a good event planner - at all) causes a little anxiety.  Because even though we didn't throw a party or invite any friends or have any family close enough with which to celebrate, I still felt some sort of pressure to make this day Emmett's perfect day.

There's a problem with that plan.

Emmett's two (or not even).

He's not very good at expressing what he likes or dislikes and every request he makes is typically a mere mimic of his sister's desires.  Thus, we have yet to learn what Emmett really wants.

Still, keeping with the knowledge that, again, he's two, and he'll be unlikely to remember this event in the future, on top of the fact that toddlers are fairly easy to entertain without big bonanzas or fancy outings, we opted to stay in.  We enjoyed his favorite breakfast - eggs and banana muffins - before heading out to play in the two tents Daddy set up with a tunnel between them, and also with the bubble-blowing lawn mower from Grandma and Grandpa.

He opened the rest of his presents later - just a few from family as our children have quite enough with which to entertain themselves as it is - and had donuts for lunch (because Mommy tried to make them for breakfast before she noticed the dough was required to chill for two hours). After a dinner of pizza, he blew out the candle on his baseball cupcake.

And then we all headed out to play with his new tee-ball set from Gram and Grandy.

We finished the evening by dancing to the credits of his selected movie ("Megamind") and listening to Micaiah read his new book from Nenaw and Papaw ("Brown Bear, Brown Bear").

And he seemed pretty happy.

So, even though it wasn't a big affair and still left me feeling like maybe it wasn't perfect enough, I'm guessing, even if it might not have been a "perfect" day, he considered it pretty good, indeed.

1,000 Gifts:
585. Tiny fingernails needing clipping
586. Curly hair freed from its ponytail
587. Keeping cool with a fine-misting hose
588. Colorful tunnels
589. Rainbows in a misted spray
590. Donut holes fresh from the oil
591. His tee-ball stance
592. Dancing with my littles (again)
593. Her reading the bedtime story from memory

Of Simple Pleasures (and Overeating)

We may have splurged a little much on food today and my belly may be a little larger than necessary as a result, but I maintain taking the kids out for a spontaneous IHOP breakfast with Mommy and, later, the entire family through the Taco Bell drive-thru, just for the heck of it, may have made the day (or the first half of it, anyway).

Then again, the playing with trains in between the two lavish meals didn't hurt, either.  Especially not when it meant listening to Micaiah's gruff man voice saying, "Thank you for the air conditioner" (this girl never ceases to amuse me in her pretend-play world).

Overall, the day was definitely not too shabby.

1,000 Gifts:
575. Tiny green sprouts sitting in the window sill
576. Little man hairs falling to the floor
577. Homemade pizza
578. Baby poop that doesn't yet smell bad.
579. Getting out the exersaucer
580. Finding just what I needed at the garage sale
581. Whipped butter
582. A thunderstorm in the night
583. A clean plate and little-man pants needing to be unbuttoned to make room for bulging belly
584. A mailbox filled with only colorful cards (no political postcards, K-Mart ads or electric bills)




This photo was from yesterday, when Micaiah took the Slinkie Joey had been enjoying and arched it over his back.  I love my kids.

Enjoying IHOP.

This is Joey's form of enjoying IHOP.

We played with Story Dice while we awaited our food and, later, while we awaited the check.

Train time!  I had fun setting out every single piece of that.  And I might be proud to say that every single piece was also put away before dinner.

Of Noise, Noise, Noise

The transition back into life as a family of five may have been a little rough on our first full day together.

I may have had a headache during all the waking hours of our children.

And I don't get headaches.

Apparently my brain had detoxed from the regularity of constant noise that accompanies the life of a stay-at-home mother of three (it seems the noise-level multiplied exponentially when the second one learned how to work his vocal chords voluntarily).  And being thrown head-long back into the world of non-stop sound was too much for my poor ears.

Thus, we have begun to work on volume control.  Probably something that should have happened a long time ago, but I think when the rise in volume just happens gradually it becomes much less noticeable than when it's been gone for awhile and suddenly turns back on.  Like your car radio - when you keep turning up the knob, little by little, as you cruise around town and it sounds just fine, but then when you get back in the car the next day, turn the key and hear your favorite station blaring, it seems like an assault on your ear drums.

Yeah, kinda like that.

So, now my favorite phrase is, "Quieter, please."  Micaiah seems to understand, but Emmett has not yet learned the art of volume control on his own voice.  And it seems his favorite volume is yelling.  Probably to be heard over his sister.

It's a slow process.  But I believe there is hope.  In fact, I haven't had a headache since that first day.  Which means we're either making progress or my brain is de-sensitizing once more.

Either way, we're functioning.  And life is good.

1,000 Gifts:
567. Happy pills
568. Opportunities left and right
569. A glowing red orb of the setting sun
570. Her looking so cool in her shades
571. Smoothie popsicles waiting in the freezer
572. Her silly face in the picture
573. "Applesauce is nummy!"
574. Sharing


Photos of the Day: 
The doula who delivered Joey (as she was the first one qualified who walked in the door) stopped by today.  I had to be sure to get a photo of the two of them together.  Micaiah wanted to be in the picture, too.  So she could do this:

She certainly missed playing with this little guy.  Looks like he missed her, too.

He also discovered the Slinkie today.  I think he has a new favorite toy.  

And the excitement was just a bit much for him in the end.

Finally, we took Joseph's Jemima picture today, as he turned four months old yesterday.  I couldn't choose my favorite, but here are a few.  Note: He doesn't actually sit up on his own, yet - there was much flopping seconds after these two were snapped.

In reality, this is his favorite position of late.  Always on his belly, this guy.

Of Monsters and Men

Just in case you were wondering where I've been (besides enjoying the past two weeks of quiet around this [previously] empty house), I spent the weekend surrounded by guys ranging in age from nine to, well, I can't really fathom a guess without possibly causing offense, but I'm fairly confident there were a number of men over the age of forty, at least, all drawn together by the love of a game.

No, not basketball, as might be presumed at this time during which the Oklahoma City Thunder are gearing up to face the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.  And not baseball, either - another logical guess as the season is now in full swing (had to do it!).

But this:

Monsterpocalypse.

It's a tabletop miniatures game that involves monsters trying to kill each other while destroying a city filled with buildings and commanding their minion grunts around the map.

Yes, it is extremely nerdy.

And I'm not gonna lie - I had the best weekend.

I know what you're thinking and you might be surprised to hear that the Convention was not filled with acne-ridden teenage boys who haven't bathed in months or even forty-year-old men who live in their mother's basement.  In the course of my own competition (yes, I even participated in this geek-fest!), I sat across the table from a comedian, a member of the United States Navy, a postal worker (and amazing artist), a Canadian and even the most adorable nine-year-old boy you've ever met.  Also in the room was a teacher, a preacher, a nurse, fathers, sons, more artists and even a manager of a Dairy Queen.  They came from New York, Washington, Chicago, Memphis, Louisiana and (as previously mentioned) from across the Northern Border.  All gathered together for one purpose - to play their game.

You might even think, if they've come all this way to march a plastic alien across a paper map they're going to take this thing seriously - a little too seriously, really.  But you would be wrong (again).

These guys play like kids - with joy, laughter, friendly competition, yes, but mostly just good sportsmanship and a mutual respect for anyone who appreciates the game.

The fact that they let me join them after only two days of studying figures and icons, making multiple mistakes, but also being kindly led back in the right direction, is a testament to their good-natured spirits.

I mean, hey, if a stay-at-home mom of three is going to take interest in their passion, then come on in.  And just bring that baby with you!

I mean, really, this is how Philip played the Final round as he competed for the top title (which he, sadly, lost, but we're both still awfully proud):

It's hard to play cut-throat with an infant at your feet.  And they didn't care (actually, honestly, Joey was the hit of the party - all those Daddies missing their babies back home and all those single guys glad they can look at those adorably chubby cheeks and know he's not waking them up tonight).  The more, the merrier.

So, yes, I spent the weekend with nerds - I'm sayin' it loud and sayin' it proud.

And, not gonna lie, a little sad that MonCon comes but once a year.

1,000 Gifts:
555. Entering his world
556. Seeing the health tracker get to zero
557. Tiny plastic monsters smashing buildings (in theory)
558. A bleary-eyed hug two weeks in the making
559. "Where's Joey?" from little tongues
560. "Twinkle, twinkle little star" coming from the back seat
561. An abstract scattering of Cheerios across the floor
562. Considering making dancing with the little ones a daily workout
563. Skipping around the living room
564. Plastic necklaces
565. Ice Cream
566. Crossing the friendship threshold.

Of Perspective Shifts

When we were new parents, the transition, as for everyone, was rough.  Going from free-spirited newlyweds  who can run out to Wal-Mart at 11:30 on a Friday night because they have a hankering to play Mouse Trap and need to go grab a copy to parents of a newborn who can't go anywhere without first buckling the baby into the carseat, making sure the diaper bag is stocked, considering the feeding schedule and how that will coincide with the time away from the house, the entire process adds at least five minutes to getting out the door and, well, it all becomes too much of a hassle to where you'd rather just stay home (or send one adult delegate out for the errands while the other stays home with the sleeping baby).

Suddenly you feel constricted, tied down.  Because it's not just the two of you, anymore, it's the two of you and "the baby."

It's an entirely different perspective going from being the two of you and a pre-schooler, a toddler and a newborn to it just being the two of you and "the baby."

Suddenly there is FREEDOM!  Because now, when we want to get out, instead of requiring twenty minutes to round up tiny shoes, change three diapers, check the diaper bag, grab snacks (if necessary), buckle three car seats and finally head out (to the cries of, "We wanna watch!"), we buckle a baby into his carseat, make sure the diaper is stocked, consider the feeding schedule and plan accordingly.  The entire process adds only five minutes to getting out the door.

Incredible what a shift in perspective does.

*Also, please note, we have felt much freedom for the past couple of weeks with an only child, but very much look forward to entering back into the pre-school/toddler fray shortly.

1,000 Gifts:
546. Slivers of potato flying off the peeler, over the bowl, into the sink
547. Reading, belly down, on a made bed at 7am with little one squirming nearby
548. His little head twisted all-around to see momma
549. Little boy asleep on his play-mat
550. Tiny male voice over the phone: "Good night, Mommy and Daddy"
551. Scribbling notes as I prepare to enter his world
552. Beautiful rain = Free car wash
553. Lounging with Little Mister, who just needs a snuggle
554. Raindrops on the windshield


"How I spent my Summer Vacation" by Joseph Peter:

Once this little guy learned how to get to his tummy, he never looked back.  Now he flips over the moment he's laid on his back.  And he always seems to hold his hands together - so proper!  He hasn't started working on flipping back, yet.  Apparently he's quite happy with the belly!

Of Enjoying Playtime

I feel as though having some time away from Big Brother and Big Sister is really helping Little J to thrive.  Where he once laid to simply watch his siblings in awe as they scurried about and occasionally tossed a small toy in his direction, he now is left with finding ways to entertain himself (you know, in those moments when Mommy isn't cuddling and cooing and making goofy faces at him).

Laying in his play gym, he grasps for the feet of the elephant hanging above him or the soft ring of the zebra rattle nearby.  He clings to the rattle Momma places in his fingers.  It's like we have an entirely new son.  One who is absolutely enthralled with the toys he only stared at a mere week ago.

 On top of which, he has also begun rolling with much greater frequency.  He had, a couple of weeks ago, learned to roll from front to back but did not employ the tactic often.  Now, however, he rolls and squirms to where every time I look at him he's in a new position.

And, then, of course, there's the ever-present good attitude.  I think this may be the first child we've had who will sometimes (like today) notify me he's awake in the morning with happy squeals rather than a demanding cry.  I really feel like he could be good friends with Buddy the elf, because smiling is totally Joey's favorite, too.

Yeah, I kinda like this kid - and the changes only make him better than he already was.

1,000 Gifts:
539. A rainstorm to compliment a rainy day
540. Birthday party plans
541. Creases in chubby baby legs
542. Children tiptoeing across the bathroom - seen over the miracle of technology
543. "I otay!"
544. The rattle of a baby's play
545. The promise of an evening together