Author: Kathleen

quick takes

one

I have mentioned a few times that our 13-year-old dog is having panic attacks every day. They started after our other dog died and have only barely become manageable. She has been on anxiety medication for over a month and we have also been giving her a nightly sedative just so we can sleep, although it is not really supposed to be used that often but life is just unbearable otherwise. And it doesn’t even work all the time. We have tried a thundershirt and a pheromone collar and we take her on long daily walks or runs. The attacks usually happen in the evening and at night when we are home, but this week she had one during the day and I came home to this:

That bench was handmade by my grandfather and the cushion was custom so it can’t be replaced easily. Now every day I am worried about whether or not she will tear up more of our belongings. We are thinking about crating her during the day even though she’s never been crated before. This weekend we are borrowing my brother-in-law’s dog to see if that will help…thinking maybe she is having separation anxiety from our other dog who died a couple months ago.

two

I’ve been eating too many sweets. I need an intervention, I can’t stop myself! Seriously though, is there anyone out there who wants to do some sort of challenge with me, something like only two desserts a week? My entire needs an overhaul actually, but this would be a great baby step for me. I really need a challenge and accountability for it to work though.

three

We started a new tradition of having breakfast for dinner every Thursday night, because Thursdays are tiring (you’ve had a lot of week but it’s not quite over yet). We also go eat at my parents’ house every Friday night, so that means only five meals for me to plan each week, and one is leftovers! Anyone else have any weekly meal traditions?

four

I want to make a lot of progress sewing my quilt top this weekend. I might be doing it totally wrong but it’s coming together. Good thing I have no interest in perfection. The tips of my triangles are getting cut off because of the seam allowance…anyone know if this is normal?

five

If the kids cooperate (with being calm and/or taking naps) I also want to make some stuff to hang on our bedroom wall. Right now this is all I’ve got and it’s kind of sad. Look at that huge blank slate though!

six

Two new podcasts I’m enjoying: The Lively Show and Elise Gets Crafty.

seven

It’s Good Friday. My prayer is to never take my Savior’s sacrifice for granted. I am so immensely blessed.

April 18, 2014
liam at three months

He:

>Is all recovered from his bout with RSV and just finished his antibiotic for the subsequent ear infection (with minimal side effects!)

>Has started cooing instead of grunting. That and his smiles are just the best ever. Makes it all worth it.

>Can wear 6-month sized clothes. Big boy!

>Looks so much different than Meredith, in my opinion.

>Is a champion hair-grabber.

>Has a couple balding spots on the sides of his head, but hasn’t lost any off the top.

>Sleeps through the night, in bed with me.

>May not get a lot of one-on-one attention, but he is showered with toddler affection and entertainment. :)

>Is still a generally calm, happy baby. <3

I:

>Am in a groove with work and home. All of my plans and routines are working so far.

>Miss audiobooks – my reading has gone way down – but I’d take the short commute any day.

>Am finishing up week 4 of Couch to 5k and it’s going really well. I’m also doing yoga on some of the off days. I’m enjoying exercising and when the new gym opens at work (June or July – free to employees) I want to step it up a notch. Now I really need to get my diet under control!

>Cry every single time I read a birth story or see a birth video. When I walk by the labor and delivery unit at work my stomach clenches up. I want to have another baby one day so badly, but I don’t know yet if it will be possible for us.

>Am pumping in two sessions almost the exact amount that Liam drinks during the day. The body is amazing.

>Think this post expresses so much of how I feel about daycare and being a working mom.

>Can’t stop looking at quilt inspiration on Pinterest. I’m even considering joining the Houston Modern Quilt Guild even though I’m such a newbie. Lately all I want to do is play with my sewing machine. If only I had the time!

>Look forward to being off work tomorrow for Good Friday. I think we are going to go to the zoo. :)

>Cherish my morning snuggles with Liam. I get out of bed before 6 and take him to the couch with a cup of coffee and my Bible study. He nurses or sleeps in my lap. It’s the only time of day we have for just us.

For reference:

0 months
1 month
2 months

Meredith at 3 months

April 17, 2014
meredith lately

Me: What’s your full name?
Meredith: Merma Susannah Forbes!
Me: Good! Do you want to know mommy’s full name?
Meredith: Mommy Susannah Forbes!
Me: Oh yeah? What about daddy’s?
Meredith: Daddy Susannah Forbes!

After her second Gogurt of the night…
Meredith: I want anudder one!
David: okay, but will you share it with daddy?
Meredith: yeah
David gives her the yogurt and she eats most of it…
David: can I have some now?
Meredith: no!
David: hey, you said you would share with me.
Meredith: well I not nice.

Going through the drive-through for fast food at a time of desperation…
Me: I’ll have a kids’ meal with a cheeseburger –
Meredith: I wanna cheeseburger!
Me: – and an apple juice –
Meredith: I wanna apple juice too!
Drive-through attendant: Will that be all?
Me: I’ll also have a medium iced mocha.
Meredith: I no wanna iced mocha.
Me: oh you don’t? Well that can be for mommy then.

At the doctor’s office after I put on the lovely paper gown…
Meredith: Whoa mommy, you be so cute!

In the shower…
Meredith: Wook miss mommy, you got a butt!
Me: Yup, I do.
Meredith: (laughing) I has a butt too! Evvybody has a butt!

Meredith: When I get bigger I drive.
Me: Yup!
Meredith: I get bigger I have kids.
Me: Ok, good!
Meredith: And I eat cookies and more food.
Me: Oh, and what else will you do when you get bigger?
Meredith: I don’t know…eat cake. And cereal. And Cheerios. And pickles. And cupcakes.

On our way home from school…
Me: Did you do anything fun today?
Meredith: No! I no wanna talk!
Me: Okay, fine. Baby Liam, what did you do today? Did you eat? You did? And poop? And have your diaper changed? Wow.
Meredith: No, I no have my diaper changed!
Me: I’m not talking to you, I’m talking to baby Liam because you don’t want to talk.
Meredith: I baby Wiam!
Me: Oh really? Because I thought your name was Meredith.
Meredith: No, my name Wiam! And I no poop!

Some of our favorite mispronunciations…
Strawberry is strawbeedas
Sandwich is finjer (was pretty proud when I figured out what she meant by that)
“I don’t know” is oh no
Diaper is bider
Blue is billow
Backpack is packpack
Her cousin Lucas is Reekoo
Chick-fil-a is Chick-er-a
Scary is scaredy
And my favorite, when singing ABC’s “W” is ducklebucks (I am doing everything I can to perpetuate this one. When she started singing it correctly I nipped that in the bud. Now she says, “when I get bigger I say dubyoo.” Sure kid. But for now let’s keep saying ducklebucks, k? See the following video for cuteness proof.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2l2XoAY3Nks&feature=em-upload_owner

And expressions…
When we eat everything off a plate (or bowl or cup or wrapper) it’s a “happy plate” (or bowl or cup or trash)
“I wanna hold you” when she wants me to pick her up (I hear this phrase a hundred times a day)
“I’m talkin-a you!” while grabbing my face
“Imma be so shy” before we get somewhere or see new people

Lately…
>She is WAY into nursery rhymes and songs. We sing them all day, every day, and these weird YouTube videos will entertain her for longer than anything else.

>When we watch anything else on TV she requests Barbie. We came upon it on Netflix by chance and now she doesn’t want anything else, no matter how much I try to get her to watch Jessie again, or SuperWhy. Barbie is surprisingly funny, but there are only four episodes on Netflix, so it’s killing me a little bit.

>She has tons of little random toys, which I’m sure is common. At first they bothered me, but then I realized I can just dump them all in her many purses and going through the purse can keep her occupied for quite awhile.

>Asks me to hold her “wike a big baby” aka with both arms, head in one arm, legs slung over the other. It’s cute for a few seconds and then I’m tired and my arms are incapacitated.

>She has Opinions about what she wants to wear (as evidenced by the three photos at the top of this post). Getting dressed is a struggle as she would prefer to wear only a diaper at all times and doesn’t want anything to do with the clothes that I think are cute. She also won’t let me touch her hair even though I’m dying to play with it.

>When she gives attention to Liam she usually starts by rubbing his ear. She also likes to hold his hands and kiss him. She gets way jealous when I hold him or nurse him, though.

>Every day when we pick her up from school she runs up to us with a huge smile and says, “Mommy I be good!!” (She went through a phase where she was biting at school so we would give her a pep talk in the mornings and now she loves to brag on herself.)

>Her favorite color is purple, but she also likes pink and blue. She loves reading books, blocks, riding on shoulders, going places, being carried, legos, bugs (in theory; she is scared of real bugs), Spiderman, listing all of her friends and family by name, jumping on couches, and trying to keep up with her older cousins.

That’s Meredith summed up at the moment, but she is also so much more than that. She’s not even really a toddler anymore but a little girl. My heart. Gosh I love her.

April 16, 2014
the “perfect” photo

In Texas in spring the wildflowers pop up everywhere and people rush out to the sides of the highway to sit in the bluebonnets and take pictures. It’s a thing. Some people get awesome professional photos taken in them, but here am I with my cranky toddler, bobblehead infant, and my iPhone camera trying to force the perfect bluebonnet photo.

I had just interrupted Meredith’s late-to-being-with nap for these. Told her to hold Liam in her lap so hold him she did.

It was windy.

In attempting to get artistic I didn’t even notice my finger over the lens.

They got tired and wanted to lie down. (Also, we didn’t smoosh the bluebonnets, they were already like that.)

So then I gave the camera to my mom and reluctantly jumped in there. Meredith decided to start being silly, poking her eyes. Lovely shot of the freeway in the background, too.

Poking his eyes.

And a kiss.

Hey, here’s a decent-ish one. But what I really wanted was more photos of just the kids, so I bribed Meredith with ice cream to sit with Liam in her lap one more time.

She is struggling under all of his massive weight, so I laid him down on her lap and she was happier.

Yeah, this is the best we could do.

I don’t really care that we didn’t get a great bluebonnet photo, because these tell the story of what that afternoon was really like. It was still a great memory. :)

April 15, 2014
project life 2014 : weeks 13 – 14

This spread is from March 24 to April 6. It was my first week back at work, and the week Liam was in the hospital.

Lots of photos here. Mostly people. I love that, but I think I would also like more pictures of our environment – the rooms we spend time in, our neighborhood, etc. I like seeing that stuff when I look back, so I’ll work on that.

Those pictures with Meredith and her Pappy (David’s grandfather) are especially sweet because he just had a stroke last week. He is still okay, but lost his language, some strength, and fine motor skills.

Week in review cards are still awesome.

As is journaling on vellum!

When I was putting together this week’s spread I took notes on my process. Soon I’ll be sharing with you how I do it, step by step, including how much time it takes me.

April 14, 2014